THE demolition of the houses of 65 families in Barangay Gusa on Tuesday underscored the need for the city council to take a close look at the Comprehensive Local City Shelter Plan (CLCSP), a city hall official said.
"The city as of the moment is having trouble looking for relocation sites because of budget cuts,” City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) head Teddy Sabuga-a said.
Sabuga-a said the city must act on the alarming increase in informal dwellers.
The shelter plan was conceptualized by the local government after Mayor Oscar Moreno directed the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) and the City Planning Office and line departments to come up with a blueprint to address homelessness in the city.
Sabuga-a said part of the plan is to identify areas in the city for relocation.
The City Planning Office had earlier said the city needs 723.58 hectares in the next seven years to resettle the increasing number of informal dwellers which is projected to reach 35,000 in 2022.
In Gusa, Barangay chairperson Marlon Tabac said the families whose houses were torn down will be allowed to rebuild in a lot near the coastal road.
Fifty-year-old Angelina Mendoza said it was painful to see her house being demolished, but they did not resist since they knew that it wasn't theirs.
Dang Suan, 28, is also disheartened. "I grew up here, I was born here, sakit gyud, hilak gane ko pag-abot nako dinhi, pero unsaon ta man wala man tay hold," he said.