MANILA, Philippines — Some 6,000 housing units will be ready for occupancy by April this year for residents of Cagayan de Oro (CDO) and Iligan displaced by tropical storm "Sendong," government housing czar, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay said Wednesday.

Binay made the assurance when he, along with Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Soliman, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro, visited Cagayan Wednesday morning.

The Vice President, concurrent chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), said the national government will fast-track the construction of over 6,000 houses in several resettlement areas so that the affected families can begin moving into the relocation sites by April.

“We are here to help you as ordered by President Aquino,” Binay told residents in a dialogue held at the Grand Caprice Limketkai Center in the city.

Meanwhile, Soliman said the DSWD and the city government of Cagayan de Oro have identified temporary and permanent relocation sites for the priority beneficiaries displaced by storm “Sendong.”

DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman said the identified temporary shelters in Iligan City are Tent City, Tambo Terminal with 123 shelter boxes where 102 families are staying; City Central Elementary School with eight tents housing eight families; Tambacan Elementary School with 32 duplex tents housing 84 families; and Barangay San Roque and Bonbonon with 18 tents for 41 families.

The other proposed relocation sites are two sites in Sta. Elena and one site in Sta. Felomina, for the estimated 3,330 families.

In Cagayan de Oro, Soliman said existing temporary sites are in Mandumol, Agusan Elementary School, Camaman-an Covered Court, Buena Oro Covered Court, Fatima Parish Hall, Mt. Carmel Parish Hall, Indahag, Regional Science High School and San Jose Seminary for some 429 families. Additional temporary sites are also being developed in Calaanan and Lumbia.

Meanwhile, the proposed permanent shelter sites include identified areas for development in Calaanan, Lumbia, Indahag, Balulang, Camaman-an, and Taguanao in Cagayan de Oro, and a 50-hectare lot in the municipality of Villanueva in Misamis Oriental.

To date, some 41 evacuation centers remain open, of which 16 are in Iligan, while 25 are in Cagayan de Oro serving 1,900 families and 3,535 families, respectively.

The DSWD also said 1,698 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were mobilized for cash for work (CFW) program maintaining the cleanliness of evacuation centers. (With a report from Ellalyn B. De Vera)