Soon to rise in Metro Manila: In-city relocation sites for evicted illegal settlers

The government through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has started constructing in-city relocation sites for illegal settlers evicted from the six major waterways in Metro Manila.

In a phone interview with GMA News Online on Tuesday, DILG Undersecretary Francisco Fernandez said medium-rise buildings will be built in Metro Manila to accommodate around 20,000 families scheduled to be relocated this year.

Fernandez said the in-city relocation sites are being built in Smokey Mountain in Manila, Quezon City National Government Center, Caloocan, and Mandaluyong.

In an earlier interview with GMA News' Winnie Monsod, Fernandez said the sites will help evicted families have access with their livelihood.

But aside from the in-city relocation sites, offsite locations are also available for families willing to relocate outside Metro Manila, according to Fernandez.

"They will have a choice to where they would like to relocate," he said. "Offsite locations are now available, but in-city is not yet ready and are still being constructed."

DILG Secretary Mar Roxas said as of June, they have relocated only around a thousand out of some 60,000 families living illegally along the San Juan River, Pasig River, Maricaban Creek, Manggahan Floodway, Tullahan River and Estero Tripa de Galinato to a permament location.

According to Fernandez, majority of the families relocated decided to move to an offsite location, while the others were put in an in-city location in Quezon City.

He said relocating to an offsite location is much more beneficial and "more inexpensive [because] the government will shoulder their rent for one year."

"We are also looking into the possibility of providing transportation of livelihood for them," Fernandez added.

Temporary relocation

Since the rainy season has started, Fernandez said the DILG has decided to temporarily relocate some families away from the waterways while waiting for the construction on the in-city relocation sites to finish by August.

"We are still making arrangements for the temporary relocation of families before they will be moved to a permanent location,” he said.

But for those left behind, Fernandez said the DILG has started to implement its disaster preparedness plan, which includes the preemptive evacuation of families during calamities.

As part of the plan, flood drills in several high-risk barangays along the major waterways in Metro Manila are set to start Wednesday.

In a statement, Roxas said during flood drills, evacuation of the residents will be simulated.

“It is expected that in every action team, there will be specific attention to the elderly, the sick and the handicapped. Evacuation will be simulated including where they are supposed to go. Activities will also be simulated from within the evacuation center,” he said.

Fernandez said the government plans to relocate 100,000 urban families, including the 60,000 families in major waterways, before June 2016, the end of President Benigno Aquino III's term. — KBK, GMA News