SP institutionalizes city hall housing program for qualified employees

THE city government of Cagayan de Oro is extending assistance to the city government employees by providing decent housing facilities and resettlement sites at an affordable cost.

Supporting this, the 19th City Council headed by Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin V. Uy during its regular session Monday, November 8, enacted an ordinance institutionalizing the Cagayan de Oro City Government Employees Housing Program.

The city has committed to upholding the housing framework established in the Comprehensive Development Plan 2020-2025 specifically on housing and resettlement as provided in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2019-2027 in the implementation of the city employees housing program.

In his letter to the City Council, City Mayor Oscar Moreno said it is the policy of the city to uplift the conditions of its employees by making available decent housing at affordable cost with basic services and encouraging its employees to lengthen their services with the city government.

He said the purpose of this measure is to determine aggregate housing demand for socialized and economic housing which includes beneficiaries from the roster of its employees.

Pursuant to the ordinance, any person employed by the city, whether as permanent, co-terminus or temporary and casual employees, including Job-Orders and elected officials, can avail of the city’s housing program.

The applicant-beneficiary may avail of the mortgage program of Pag-IBIG Fund or Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), and National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC).

The ordinance provides that the City Housing and Urban Development Department shall provide technical assistance to the Application and Selection Committee in the process of titling and documentation.

The housing projects that shall be developed into unitized parcels of lots and/or tenement types of building shall be made available to the beneficiaries of the city hall employees housing project.

Councilor Edgar Cabanlas, chair of the committees on subdivision and landed estate and on urban poor and housing development, informed the legislative body that all city hall employees regardless of their employment status are entitled to avail of the housing program.

“We are not choosy. Nobody is left behind. The original proposal was to exclude J.O, I said no we cannot do that”, he stressed.

The housing project is a medium-rise condominium type located in Pagatpat, he announced.

The ordinance was sponsored by the committees on subdivision and landed estate and on laws and rules chaired by Councilors Cabanlas and Ian Mark Q. Nacaya, respectively.