DILG to relocate 200 families from along waterways a week

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II on Friday said the DILG intends to relocate 200 families per week from areas in Metro Manila identified as danger zones.

"Tuloy tuloy po itong gagawin natin na paglikas para naman ang mga kababayan natin na nakatira sa mga estero ay magkaroon ng sariling bahay na maayos, wasto at nasa tamang lugar," Roxas said after meeting with the 98 families along the Estero Tripa de Gallina in Barangay 156, Pasay City, who voluntarily agreed to be relocated to Barangay Hugo Perez in Trece Martires, Cavite.

Roxas said relocation applications of 40 more informal settler families living in Estero Tripa de Gallina are now being processed.

Roxas said the government's intensified relocation efforts under the “Oplan Likas” or Lumikas para Iwas sa Kalamidad at Sakit, is in line with their target to relocate at least 4,000 families from along eight major waterways in Metro Manila by the end of the year to ease the massive flooding in the metropolis.

The priority waterways earlier identified by Roxas are Tullahan River, San Juan River, Pasig River, Manggahan Floodway, Estero de Maypajo, Estero de Sunog Apog, Estero Tripa de Gallina and Maricaban Creek.

Based on DILG records, a total of 19,440 families were living illegally along these waterways as of May.

Earlier this month, the DILG relocated 649 families living along Maricaban Creek in Pasay City.

Under the Public Works department's easement plan, all families living within three meters from the waterways must be relocated.

National Housing Authority (NHA) Group Manager for National Capital Region Victor Balba said Oplan Likas beneficiaries in Estero Tripa de Gallina were the ones who picked the NHA housing project in Trece Martires as their relocation site, after conducting a visit.

"Gusto nila na lumipat sa NHA housing project na yun dahil maganda ang bahay, may ilaw at kuryente na, at may paaralan pa. Sila ang pumili ng relokasyon nila at maayos ang naging paglikas," Balba said.

Roxas said that under the DILG's Oplan Likas program, each of the beneficiary families from Estero Tripa de Gallina, will receive a housing unit worth P240,000. Of this amount, P35,000 will be subsidized by the government with one-year moratorium.

According to the agreement, between the 2nd to the 4th year of their stay in their units, beneficiaries will only pay P200 per month, after which, their amortization will increase to P1,330 per month until they are fully paid.

Beneficiaries have up to 30 years to pay for their housing units. — Elizabeth Marcelo/JDS, GMA News