AROUND 1,500 homeless families in Negros Occidental have forced themselves to enter the premises of the housing units for the police and the army located at Hacienda Guanzon in Barangay Felisa, Bacolod City on Thursday, August 30.
They are looking to occupy the idle houses owned by the personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay)-Negros, along with the local leaders of progressive groups, led the informal settlers to the said village which is a 30-minute ride away from the city proper.
The homeless families brought along their children and some of their cooking utensils so it can sustain them when they stay in the area until such time a concrete solution to their demands from the government will be reached.
They are demanding the National Housing Authority (NHA) to give the homeless families the opportunity to own the idle houses.
Around the village, many families and their children camped outside of the housing units. They set up their own makeshift tents and coverings to shield them from the scorching heat of the sun and or from the rain.
Michael de la Concepcion, secretary-general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Negros, said they will stay inside the premises until such time they have concrete answers from the officials of the NHA.
The leaders of Kadamay also pushed for the continued presence of the homeless in the area unless they have concrete answers from the government.
When the groups entered the village, members of the Bacolod City Police Office led by Superintendent Leonardo Borromeo, deputy city police director for operations, told the campers to just stay where they are allowed to stay.
“We are here to maintain peace and order in the area. We will observe maximum tolerance,” he said.
Kadamay secretary-general Berlita Ante and her group demanded the presence of local NHA officials.
They later succeeded in their request as NHA officials led by its Bacolod office project manager Alejandro Ongsuco held a dialogue with the militant leaders in one of the unoccupied houses at the village.
Ongsuco said they already set up a meeting with the PNP and AFP officials on September 7.
He said the PNP has already confirmed its attendance on the meeting while the AFP has yet to respond.
“All these houses were already awarded to the beneficiaries. We cannot just decide unilaterally without getting their official decision on the matter,” Ongsuco told the local leaders of Kadamay and the progressive groups.
President Rodrigo Duterte recently signed a resolution that authorizes NHA to award to other qualified beneficiaries the unoccupied housing units whose ownership and possession are surrendered by their respective awardees and housing units whose respective awards were cancelled by the policemen, army, firemen and jail personnel.
This is the very basis of the militant groups to press occupancy of the said idle houses, which was constructed in 2012 and completed in 2015. The project was worth P360 million.
The NHA stressed the units are not idle houses.
“These houses have owners who pay their monthly amortization. It so happened that most of the beneficiaries have not yet occupied their homes because they still process their application for electricity and water,” Ongsuco said.
He added the beneficiaries are paying P200 per month for the unit for 25 years.
He also said that other owners have no occupancy permit yet.
“But all these concerns can be discussed thoroughly with the presence of the representatives of the agencies concerned such as the members of the PNP and AFP,” he said.
The NHA has allowed these families to stay as long as they do not cause harm or damage to the structures and keep everything in order.
Today, they are set to meet again to further discuss possible solutions on the matter.
Yesterday afternoon, the police have secured the area wherein those who are inside are allowed to go out but cannot come back anymore.
The campers also showed compliance but with some reservations because they cannot just get inside or go outside to buy their food and water.
Meanwhile, the said village has 1,498 housing units, but only eight were occupied.