After 30 years of struggling to gain ownership of their residential lands, more than 60 families in Soldiers Village, Barangay Sta. Lucia have received their respective contracts to sell from the Pasig City local government and the National Housing Authority (NHA).
The conditional contracts to sell are the binding agreements between the NHA and the beneficiaries who have been verified as the rightful owners of their properties.
The contract entails the beneficiary to pay their obligations to the NHA, pertaining to their lands which at this point remain under the ownership of the NHA. Once payment has been completed, the beneficiaries will receive deeds of sale, and later on may be awarded their land titles.
Pasig City Vico Sotto, Vice Mayor Robert "Dodot" Jaworski Jr., Rep. Roman Romulo, Councilors Angelu De Leon and Quin Cruz, NHA East Sector Officer-in-Charge Ar. Kristiansen T. Gotis, Pasig/Marikina/Manggahan District Officer-in-Charge Ar. Monn Alexander Ong, and General Manager Joeben Tai graced the awarding ceremony.
Sotto, Jaworski, and Romulo commended the hardwork and dedication of the families and their parents who have fought and sacrificed for their lands as early as former Pasig Mayor Mario Raymundo's term from 1988 to 1992.
Sotto said the first batch of beneficiaries in Soldiers Village were awarded their contracts to sell during the Covid-19 pandemic. The beneficiaries during the ceremony were the remaining families whose lands are still under the NHA titles and had issues with the portions and status of the lots.
He emphasized that the local government is willing to help and determine ways to ease the transfer of lands for families in the city.
"Ang commitment ng local na pamahalaan ay kung ano man 'yung kinalabasan o status ng lupa, kung makakatulong po, bilhin na lang muna ng LGU tapos kami na po ang mga contract to sell para sa remaining [beneficiaries] (The local government's commitment is, regardless of the result or status of the land, if it will help, the LGU can buy the lots and they will process the contracts to sell for the remaining beneficiaries)," Sotto said.
The 60 families in the ceremony may not be included in that program of the local government, but the mayor urged them to still support the initiatives to help other Pasigueños who are also experiencing land troubles.
"Pare-pareho naman po tayo ng hinahangad dito. Gusto po natin mapasainyo ang lupang kinatatayuan ng mga tahanan ninyo at gusto po natin lahat ay kasama at makasali (We all wish for the same thing here. We want the lands your houses are built on to be yours, and we want everyone to join and be included)," Sotto added.
"Marami pang nakapila at siguro, with the cooperation ng ating national government agencies sa pangunguna ng NHA, siguro mapapabilis ang paghand-over ng ating mga conditional deeds (Many [families] are in line, and perhaps with the cooperation of our national government agencies led by the NHA, we can hasten the handover of our conditional deeds)," Jaworski said.
Romulo shared that the rehabilitations and amenities around the Soldiers Village are expected to finish by December and the first quarter of 2024. Some of these include the widening of roads and installation of a "baywalk" for pedestrians and cyclists along the stretch of the Eastbank Road.
In front of the village, the local government said it will set up an organized place and line for the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) in the area, and develop a park and mini-skateboard park by January to February next year.
Hopefully, by the end of the year, the second Malasakit Center in Pasig City may also be completed and opened to the public, Romulo added.