Lorega’s homeless get P13M

By Princess Dawn Felicitas

THE socialized housing project inside the Lorega-San Miguel Municipal Cemetery will, months from now, be constructed following yesterday’s ceremonial turn-over of its fund amounting to P13.1 million.

The housing project will be a three storey building with 60 homes.

The construction, which will start before the year ends, will make possible the relocation of about 60 families living inside the cemetery.

Lorega Barangay Captain Fritz Gerald Herrera said he is grateful the housing project in his barangay will now be implemented.

“Every year, kada kalag-kalag, sige lang tag ka-starring sa mga newspaper ug sa tv kay naa man diri ang lugar nga gasagol ang mga buhi ug patay, pero murag di man maayo tan-awon. So I am grateful nga naa na ni nga project (Every All Souls’ Day we are featured in the media because here the dead and the living are in one place. It doesn’t look good),” he said.

“Lorega will be changed forever. Forever na ning manindot ang Lorega and we expect plenty of improvements to come,” he said.

Of the total amount allocated for the Lorega housing project, P10 million came from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of former congressman of the north district Raul Del Mar while the rest came from the Cebu City Government and several non-government organizations.

These organizations include the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation Inc. and the Action for Nurturing Children and Environment (ANCE).

With houses to be built, the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) chief Danilo Gabiana said the existing tombstones in the cemetery will be uprooted and the bones will be transferred temporarily in a building.

“Pero katong gilubong dri nga below five years pa, di ta katangtang ana kay naa man na implikasyon sa health (But those buried five years ago will not be touched),” he said.

“So kanang mga below five years nga maigo sa atong project, ato na silang tantangon human isud sa pantyon sa atong gipang-tang nga above five years na ug wa naigo sa project,” he said.

Of the 20,000-square-meter cemetery, 9,000 of it will be converted into a socialized housing site.

The housing project, which is expected to be done after in eight months, will be constructed by Gawad Kalinga. The Cebu City Government will be responsible for the site development.

Once it is finished, a memorial structure will be constructed in the other portion of the cemetery to house the bones of the dead.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 22, 2010.