Mayor Zamora: 22-storey housing tower for informal settlers to rise in San Juan

A 22-storey housing tower will be constructed just across San Juan's city hall as a pilot solution to address the needs of over 6,000 informal settlers in the city, Mayor Francis Zamora said.

"Sa San Juan kasi kakaiba ang sitwasyon kasi maliit lang kami, so hindi uubra 'yung usual na medium-rise buildings na five storeys lamang dahil ang development must be vertical, not horizontal," Zamora said in an interview on GMA News TV's Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie.

The mayor said that the P800-million relocation project will be fully funded by the National Housing Authority.

He added that soil testing is ongoing and that the groundbreaking will take place before the year ends.

The high-rise building will house a total of 550 units that measure 32 square meters each.

"One tower is a good start. We will not stop at one tower but we are trying to build our first so that we can see if the high-rise in-city housing will work," Zamora said.

"The recipients have to be very responsible. This is not free, hindi ito libre. Iba-iba ho 'yung demographics ng qualified dito," he added.

The mayor also said that the selection of the beneficiaries will follow due process.

"Magpapatulong ho tayo sa NHA ng guidelines nila because I also don't want to be accused of preselecting the beneficiaries... Magkakaroon tayo ng maayos na proseso," he said. — Dona Magsino/BM, GMA News