Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas and NHA GM Marcelino Escalada ink MOA. Photo by Armand M. Galang
PALAYAN CITY – The local government sealed a P164-million housing agreement with the National Housing Authority on Tuesday in its bid to establish “decent settlement” among migrants and residents.
Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas signed a memorandum of agreement for the provision of 800 housing units with NHA general manager Marcelino Escalada in simple rights witnessed by members of the sangguniang panlungsod and other officials here.
The city government will pay the amount through a continuing allotment in ten years, according to the agreement.
Cuevas said the provisions on human settlement comes with their program such as the concreting of various roads and upgraded social services.
“Dumadami po ang mga tao, dumadayo at dumarating at gustong manirahan sa Palayan. Paano po kung walang magandang bahay? Saan naman po titira? Magtitirik na lang ng iba’t ibang klaseng bahay,” Cuevas said.
The influx of workers from different places was expected as more offices and businesses started to flourish in this city, the capital of Nueva Ecija, with the establishment of the Palayan City Business Hub.
Aside from private firms such as call centers, the business hub also houses several government agencies that also serve as one–stop–shop center for overseas Filipino workers.
Escalada, for his part, lauded Cuevas for being the first local executive to initiate such agreement which, in effect, arrests the NHA’s problem on human settlement.
This, he said, was aligned to his “build, turn over and disengage” strategy.