Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto bared on Friday, April 29, his administration's achievements in responding to decades-old land and housing issues of the city.

"Marami tayong minanang problema sa pabahay at lupa. Halos lahat ng barangay natin ay may isyu sa lupa. Marami rito ay deka-dekada nang problema, pero sa tagal ng panahon ay hindi nasolusyunan (We have inherited a lot of problems in housing and land ownership in the city. Almost all of our barangays have issues in terms of their land. Majority of them have been existing for decades already but have not been resolved)," Sotto said in his Facebook post.

According to him, some of his administration's responses to these issues include the repair of electricity, water supply, and other services for the city's relocated individuals in Tanay. He said their homes were demolished and they were forced to relocate even if their relocation site is not finished yet.

The local government unit (LGU) has also fixed the land titles of Lots 2 and 3 in Santolan, as well as the purchase of a 4,750-square-meter land for the in-city relocation of those about to be affected by the revetment wall that will be put in the riverside.

Sotto also reported the resumption of consultations and meetings for the Proposed Development Plan in Lot 11-A in Santolan, which was delayed due to the pandemic.

He added that a Usufruct Agreement was also reached for a 600-unit housing project under the Rosario Floodway People's Plan.

A project under the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) is also in the works and pending for their approval.

The LGU has also filed for an Expropriation Proceedings for a land intended for the in-city relocation of those living in the danger zones of the Floodway. It has also successfully negotiated with the landowner of ISMAR Kalawaan for its purchase.

The two groups contesting their legal rights in ISMAR Kalawaan were also unified by the LGU for its smooth transition to CMP (Community Mortgage Program).

"Naipasa ang Pasig Housing Code Ordinance at ordinansa para maitatag ang Pasig Urban Settlements Office (PUSO). Kasama rito ang reporma sa sistema at guidelines.. ayaw na natin sa lumang kalakaran kung saan nagka-unit pa ang iilang konsehal sa ‘Socialized Housing’ ng LGU (We have also passed the Pasig Housing Code Ordinance, as well as another ordinance for the creation of the Pasig Urban Settlements Office. This includes the reform of system and guidelines...we don’t want the old and unjust ways wherein even some councilors got units under the ‘Socialized Housing’ of the LGU)," Sotto said.

The LGU has also verified and paid the land purchased by the LGU during the 1990's.

"Ang mga solusyon sa mga problemang ito ay mahirap, pinag-aaralan, at pinaghihirapan. Kung madali lang ang mga solusyon, hindi na sana umabot nang deka-dekada ‘yung ibang mga problema (The solutions to these problems are hard, being studied, and require a lot of hard work. If the solutions are easy, then it would not take decades to resolve some of the problems)," the mayor said.

"Kaya mag-ingat tayo sa mga politiko na kung magsalita ay napakatamis, pero kapag hinimay mo ang sinasabi ay halatang hindi naman talaga alam ang mga suliranin (That's the reason why we must be wary of politicians who tend to sweet talk, but once you assess what they're saying, they don't really know the problems)," he added.