NHA grants Baricuatro’s request to release P712-million housing aid

Local

GOOD news for those who lost their homes due to the recent typhoon.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) has approved the request of Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro to release the P712 million cash aid which was returned to the National Treasury after a dispute with the previous provincial administration over distribution methods.

According to Cebu Province's post on its social media account, Baricuatro said NHA General Manager Joeben A. Tai personally called her to confirm the release, following instructions from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The aid is expected to reach Cebu in December 2025.

In her November 18 letter to Tai, she wrote, “As the People’s Governor, I firmly believe that the affected Cebuanos deserve to receive what is rightfully theirs despite the years that have passed.”

She requested that the NHA facilitate the reallocation of the P712 million and assured the agency that her administration would cooperate fully to reconcile beneficiary data and ensure smooth distribution.

The funds were initially allocated under the NHA’s Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), which provides P10,000 per household for those with totally destroyed homes.

According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), 72,209 households in Cebu qualified under this program.

The previous provincial administration, led by former Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, sought to distribute the aid to over 350,000 households, including those with partially or slightly damaged homes, using the QR-coded Dasig Sugbo Card system.

NHA 7 Manager Hermes Jude Juntilo explained that the province’s proposal would have violated EHAP guidelines and risked audit issues, irregular allocation, and allegations of fund misuse.

“Our general manager did not allow the province to handle the implementation. In the end, the funds were returned to the National Treasury,” he said.

The NHA completed distribution in Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu cities in 2023 and 2024, while the provincial allocation stalled due to conflicting data and policy disagreements.

Garcia argued that the NHA’s approach excluded many affected families. She said the provincial government had already distributed over P1.8 billion through Dasig Sugbo Cards, ensuring aid could only be redeemed for recovery-related needs.

She also noted that the NHA’s offer came nearly two years after the typhoon struck, by which time many families had rebuilt their homes.

With the reinstatement of the funds, Baricuatro’s administration will coordinate with NHA 7 to reconcile beneficiary data and guarantee that aid reaches families whose homes were destroyed by the typhoon.

Officials emphasized that the goal is an equitable and transparent distribution across all affected communities in Cebu Province.(MyTVCebu)