Urban Poor commissioner: Informal settlers should be allowed to go back to homes near NGCP tower

The top official of the country's urban poor commission on Thursday said informal settlers should be allowed go back to the site of the fire that nearly toppled a tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) near South Luzon Expressway in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

In a briefing, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) chairperson Terry Ridon said that allowing informal settlers to go back to the site is common practice after fire incidents.

“I think what we would want to see there is kung wala pa pong interim solution, sa totoo lang, pabayaan na ho muna silang makabalik ngayon,” he said.

Ridon said settlers would not be allowed back to the dangerous part of the site.

“What we’re saying is parang we have to provide them interim solution for them kasi I’m quite certain there are no houses yet available for all of them at this point,” he said.

“So I think an interim solution can be done. So for example, we had done it in several of the fires previously ‘no. So particularly those that are involving agencies, pinabayaan na lang ho muna eh, ng mga ahensya na makabalik muna doon sa mga nasunugan pong lugar,” he added.

An interagency meeting would be held in the coming days to discuss how to help informal settlers who lost their homes because of the fire.

The fire reportedly started at the informal settlements in the area. —JST, GMA News