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Sunday, March 07, 2004
Arroyo assures railway squatters of relocation site
By Jay Dooma Balnig
PRESIDENT Arroyo assured railway dwellers in Iloilo that they would be provided relocation sites before the implementation of the Panay Railway Rehabilitation Project.
The government has sufficient funds for the relocation of squatter families from Iloilo City to Roxas City, Arroyo said in an interview with Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo Friday.
Hannibal Lipardo, general manager of Panay Railways Inc., said the President is expected to arrive third week of March to lead the groundbreaking rites for the project.
PRI records show there are close to 4,700 squatters and tenants occupying its properties from Iloilo to Roxas.
A total of 2,231 are considered active and 985, active. Those who have no contracts reach 1,472.
They are located at Lapuz, Lapaz area, San Nicolas, Sonalan, M.H. del Pilar, Democracia and Sambag in Iloilo City, Pavia, Sta. Barbara, New Lucena and Pototan towns and the boundary between Passi City and Capiz.
After the groundbreaking rites, a German, French and Austrian consortium will start with the project, which involves the rehabilitation of the 117-kilometer alignment between Iloilo and Roxas.
The P23.5-billion project, supported by Iloilo City Rep. Raul Gonzalez Sr., also includes the integration of the existing railway line with the airport of international standards in Cabatuan-Sta. Barbara area as well as with routes of buses bound for Aklan.
The consortium's heavy equipment will arrive in Loboc port soon after the groundbreaking and prior to that, the squatters' areas will be cleared, Lipardo earlier said.
Despite efforts to revive the railway system, lawyer Romeo Gerochi asked the City Council to pass an ordinance blocking the project based on the clamor, he said, of thousands of city residents.
Gerochi, who is seeking a congressional seat, said he represents Iloilo City residents whose houses are situated along the railroad from Ungka to Lapuz as well as a "substantial number of residents of the City of Iloilo who will be affected by the rehabilitation project."
(March 6, 2004 issue)
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