Metro Manila mayors were tasked to come up with an inventory of informal settler families (ISFs) and government-owned open spaces in their respective areas as the national government embarks on the large-scale in-city mass housing for poor families in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. said the government-owned open spaces will serve as temporary relocation areas while the construction of buildings for mass housing are being completed.
“This is part of our efforts to ensure that the ISF families will not be displaced as we plan in-city relocation,” said Abalos in a press briefing at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) office in Pasig City on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
In the press briefing, Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar disclosed that there are around 170,000 units or 55 projects in different locations in Metro Manila that are currently in construction.
Acuzar said the mass housing is designed to address the need for decent housing and to build on the potential impact of a robust sector on the growing economy.
He explained that the target beneficiaries will be housed at the staging areas, or temporary relocation areas that would be identified by the Metro Manila mayors.
“Informal settler families (ISFs) shall be temporarily relocated to the government staging areas for at least one to two years while the housing projects are under construction. All ISFs shall be permanently transferred to their new housing area once completed,’ said Acuzar.
MMDA chairman Don Artes said a Technical Working Group (TWG) will be created for the purpose of identifying ISFs in Metro Manila and in identifying government-owned open spaces where temporary shelters will b
“We will create a Technical Working Group that will be closely working together for the submission of LGUs’ inventories of all available and suitable lands e constructed,” said Artes.
Incentives
Aside from government-owned open spaces, Metro Manila Council president and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said they are also eyeing the cooperation of private property owners in the project.
He said this could be done by providing incentives to owners who will allow the use of their properties that are idle as staging areas.
Zamora also committed support to the conduct of inventory, saying this would benefit poor and homeless families in the National Capital Region.
“The Metro Manila mayors are in full support of the president’s housing program. It is my vision for San Juan to be informal settler families-free, and this project is an opportunity to make it possible and provide the ISFs with decent housing all over Metro Manila,” said Zamora.
Backlog
The DHSUD is eyeing to address the 6.5 million backlog in housing across the country.
The mass housing received a good support system from various government agencies, including the recently-approved P13 billion revolving credit lines by the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund.