For Odette’s victims: ₱712 million housing fund approved

CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — Over 70,000 Cebuano families who lost their homes to Typhoon Odette may finally receive the stalled release of ₱712-million fund for emergency housing assistance at the time.

This will happen after the National Housing Authority (NHA) granted the recent request of Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro to restore the ₱712 million in assistance meant for families affected by Odette in 2021, which were returned to the National Treasury after a failed agreement with the former provincial administration.

Baricuatro, in her November 18 letter to NHA General Manager Joeben Tai, said Cebuanos who lost their homes deserve the aid that was promised to them nearly four years ago.

“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 wrote.

The amount, initially earmarked under the Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), had been returned to the National Treasury after disagreements with the previous Capitol administration stalled its distribution.

Baricuatro yesterday confirmed to the media that the NHA has granted her request to restore the assistance, which was originally intended for Odette survivors in Cebu Province.

According to a social media post by the Cebu provincial government, the NHA general manager personally informed Baricuatro that her request was approved upon instructions from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The financial aid is expected to reach Cebu by December 2025, after final reconciliation of beneficiary lists.

The governor assured the NHA that her administration would work closely with agency officials to align data, address previous discrepancies, and ensure the proper and timely distribution of funds.

The ₱712 million allocation under EHAP provides P10,000 per beneficiary, specifically for households whose homes were totally destroyed during Typhoon Odette.

Based on records from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), 72,209 households in Cebu Province qualified under this category.

The previous provincial administration, under former governor Gwendolyn Garcia, however, had sought to expand the coverage to more than 350,000 households, including those with partial or minor damage.

During that time, the NHA distribution plan, under the EHAP, was to provide ₱10,000 directly to each affected household, but the Capitol leadership then, pushed for a distribution online, through the Dasig Sugbo Card system, which Garcia said ensured that funds were spent strictly for rehabilitation needs.

Former NHA-7 manager Hermes Jude Juntilo said the proposal could not be accommodated, as he explained that the Capitol’s plan deviated from EHAP rules, which restrict beneficiaries to those with fully destroyed homes.

Juntilo said the province’s interpretation could have exposed the project to audit complications, irregular implementation, and possible allegations of mishandling public funds.

“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.

While NHA completed the distribution of EHAP assistance in Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu cities in 2023 and 2024, the provincial share remained frozen due to conflicting beneficiary lists and unresolved policy issues.

Garcia, however, disputed Juntilo’s statements in earlier interviews, saying the NHA’s limitations would have excluded many legitimately affected families across Cebu Province.

Juntilo, in a previous report by The Freeman, said the NHA had validated over 70,000 beneficiaries, but saw a conflict when the Capitol insisted on a list of roughly 400,000 households.

He said the number submitted by the provincial government was significantly higher than OCD and LGU data, forcing NHA to halt the process.

Garcia countered that the province’s figures reflected the broader scale of damage, especially in remote and coastal areas that she said national agencies had undercounted.