11 years of broken promises leave Yolanda survivors in housing despair

MANILA, Philippines – Eleven years after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated the country, the real disaster is not nature’s fury, but human neglect.

Over a decade of mismanagement has left thousands of survivors still waiting for promised housing, caught in a cruel limbo made worse by government indecision, misused funds, and poor construction.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) still owes survivors nearly 31,000 homes under the Yolanda Permanent Housing Program (YPHP). Of the planned 202,036 housing units, only 171,230 have been built. Yet, even among these, more than 32,000 remain unoccupied due to incomplete documentation, missing property titles, or the absence of essential utilities like water and electricity. 

For many survivors of Yolanda in 2013, the hope for a new beginning has become an unending nightmare. What was meant to aid recovery has turned into a symbol of broken promises. The survivors are still waiting in the ruins of their lives, and their suffering shows how easily political priorities can overshadow the human lives they were meant to help.

State auditors’ findings expose a deeper rot: P6.456 billion of the P32.057 billion for the YPHP was redirected to unrelated projects, including housing for military and police personnel. 

Meanwhile, delays in implementation led to budget cuts, shrinking the scope of housing projects in several areas.

In Hernani, Eastern Samar, for instance, the P200.31 million set aside for Town Villa Sites 1 to 3 was slashed, reducing the target from 989 housing units to 713. In General MacArthur, the P178.99-million housing project saw its goal shrink from 300 to 234 homes. Balangiga’s P99.85 million project was scaled back from 460 to 383 units. 

Across these sites, poor road access, limited livelihood opportunities, and substandard construction further hinder occupancy, according to auditors.

“As at December 31, 2023, 19 YPHP projects remain without houses built, one of the reasons of which is insufficient funding. Despite the government allotting an adequate budget for YPHP, a portion of it was authorized to be redirected to other programs that required funding for their completion, resulting in delays and failure to those beneficiaries that were initially intended to be provided with housing units,” read part of a report released by the Commission on Audit (COA).

The NHA found itself facing a mounting challenge: meeting its housing targets for Regions 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7, 8, and 13 under the YPHP between 2020 and 2023. Based on the COA findings, what began as an ambitious goal of 205,128 units in 2020 was recalibrated – first upward to 218,985, then steadily downward. By 2023, the target had dwindled to 202,036.

The shifting figures tell a story about broken promises and bureaucratic entanglements. Internally, officials blamed the setbacks on a list of familiar culprits: increasing construction costs, budget shortfalls, and the lingering consequences of terminated contracts. 

Project sites seen as unsuitable for housing further complicated matters, as did unresolved boundary disputes, adverse claims, and the need for costly earth-filling in problematic locations.

Adjustments in design plans to match ground realities also caused more delays.

The COA review of YPHP records painted an even grimmer picture. Thirty-seven projects, valued at P5.8 billion, remained incomplete. Fourteen projects, worth P2.25 billion, were suspended. Another 64 projects, costing P10.14 billion, were terminated.

Based on the COA report, the delays stemmed from suspension orders, relentless weather disruptions, and unresolved issues with land surveying and titling. Yet, as the NHA struggled to realign its priorities, thousands of families were left waiting, their hopes of new homes reduced to another statistic in a long list of unfinished promises.

“The suspension of 14 projects with a contract amount of P2.250 billion was attributed to diverse factors, including pending issuance of certificates/permits before construction, variation orders, unsuitability of land for housing construction, shortage of aggregate supply, and halting work while termination procedures,” the COA said.

Sixty-four projects were terminated, primarily due to delays ranging from 313 to 1,702 days, with some now being rebid by the NHA.

According to the COA, NHA regional offices explained that challenges like compliance with no-build zones and limited access to roads and transportation contributed to delays. They noted that providing transportation for relocated residents was the responsibility of local governments.

The NHA assured that defects in design or construction, including substandard materials, would be addressed through warranty claims and provisions under the Government Procurement Reform Law. – Rappler.com