NGCP turns over housing project in Valenzuela City

October 20, 2020 | 12:03 am
https://www.bworldonline.com/ngcp-turns-over-housing-project-in-valenzuela-city/

POWER grid operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Monday it turned over to the city government of Valenzuela the first batch of low-rise homes in a joint in-city housing project for informal settler families.

“NGCP and the City of Valenzuela, together with Gawad Kalinga, worked hand in hand to give residents of the city a safer living environment, away from the dangers posed by living near or under high voltage transmission lines,” the privately owned company said.

The dwellings are in Disiplina Village, which it described as a “product of collaborative efforts to serve the community in order to protect them and give them a safer place to live in.” The turnover was on Oct. 15.

NGCP said it had worked with Valenzuela City to relocate residents previously living within the transmission right-of-way corridor to prevent accidents that might happen because of their proximity to the high voltage power lines.

The move was also in line with the enactment of the Republic Act 11361 or the Anti Obstruction of Power Lines Act, it added. The law aims to ensure the uninterrupted flow of power by prohibiting construction of structures and conducting any activity within or along the power line corridor.

In February last year, NGCP, the Valenzuela City local government unit and Gawad Kalinga broke ground on the 2.5-hectare city property to put up the in-city relocation site. The housing project, which costs more than P282 million, is comprised of 22 three-storey low-rise buildings with 792 units, and is scheduled for completion by 2021.

The five newly constructed buildings with a total of 180 units will be given to residents of Brgy. Mapulang Lupa and Ugong who were previously residing along the transmission line corridor of NGCP’s San Jose-Quezon 230-kilovolt line.