Sunday, February 04, 2007
Ilang squatters seek creation of housing board
SQUATTERS on vacant lots in Barangay Ilang, Bunawan District are pushing for the immediate approval of an ordinance creating the Davao City Housing Board.
The main function of the housing board will be the development of a Shelter Plan for the poor who have no access to formal housing.
These settlers composed of 1,098 households organized in seven community associations comprise the Kobbler Neighborhood Associations, Inc. (KoFNAI), which has become a part of the city's urban poor and housing backlog.
KoFNAI president Virgie Bayo said Wednesday that with the City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's avowed priority concern on housing delivery for the urban poor, now is the time to introduce the housing boards to ensure the sustainability of delivery of housing services.
"It will be cementing the local government's mission towards providing urban poor decent homes because through the housing board, the concerns of the poor will be systematically addressed," Bayo said.
Bayo added that while there are professional squatters who make a business out of squatting, this is not entirely the case for every informal settlement.
"One way to identify qualified and legitimate beneficiaries is through Census and Tagging Registration. This refers to the system of identifying and registering social housing beneficiaries to serve as basis for prioritizing social housing projects being implemented by the local government unit", Bayo said.
In a separate interview Friday, Councilor Leonardo Avila III, the proponent of the said ordinance, said a committee hearing has been done last Wednesday and it won't be long before the report will be presented to the whole council.
"There is truly a need for a 'superbody' to concentrate and monitor all housing activities," Avila said.
Avila also said he is familiar with the KoFNAI situation saying that unlike other informal settlements, KoFNAI-member neighborhoods are clean and well-maintained as he has visited the area in the past.
Avila said this particular piece of land was part of the privately-owned industrial land (originally classified as agricultural area), which was mortgaged to a bank.
The bank eventually seized ownership of the land because the owners were not able to repay their debts.
Avila said the residents seek the intervention of the local government made possible through a housing board for the re-classification of the said area to a residential zone.
With that, Avila said, the residents can start an official negotiation process with the bank, as they are willing to pay the bank for the lots they have occupied.
Avila added that the establishment of a housing board was aim to facilitate the classification of areas that are fit for residences to avoid development plans in areas, which are prone to floods and other risks.
It will also address the prevalent problems and relocation of settlers in coastal communities that contribute to the pollution and sanitation problems of the city. (GLP)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (February 4, 2007 issue)
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