Tolentino inaugurates Batangas housing project for Taal Volcano victims

MANILA - Senator Francis 'TOL' N. Tolentino on Friday led the inauguration of brand-new housing units for the residents affected by the 2020 Taal Volcano eruption in Talisay, Batangas.

Tolentino said the housing project, which is located in Talisay Residences Phase II in Barangay Tranca, is expected to shelter some 425 displaced families once it reaches its final completion. A total of 150 housing units were inaugurated today. Another 150 units will be up for completion by the end of July, and the remaining 125 units by end November this year.

Tolentino, who was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement during the 18th Congress, initiated the project in collaboration with the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the local government of Talisay.

NHA General Manager Joeben Tai, Batangas 3rd District Representative Maria Theresa Collantes, and Talisay Mayor Nestor Natanauan all joined Senator Tolentino in awarding the housing units to residents who all came from the Taal Volcano island, which is now a hazard zone.

The 2020 eruption of Taal Volcano affected 53,697 individuals or 10,131 households in the entire Province of Batangas, based on the data released by the NHA. They are mostly residents living in the municipalities of Talisay, Malvar, Tanauan, Laurel, Agoncillo, Santa Teresita, Cuenca, Alitagtag, Mataas na Kahoy, Balete, and San Nicolas, as well as the City of Lipa.

In January 2020, following the eruption of Taal Volcano, Tolentino filed Senate Resolution No. 297 and urged the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and other relevant government agencies to formulate a sustainable "Taal Volcano Resettlement and Rehabilitation Program."