10 years, P32B needed to relocate Metro ‘squatters’

The government needs at least P30 billion in 10 years to relocate the more than half a million illegal settlers in Metro Manila, particularly those living near Manila Bay and its tributaries, according to an inter-agency committee. In a report, the Metro Manila Inter-Agency Committee on Informal Settlers (MMIAC) said that about 21 percent or 544,609 of the 2.6 million households in Metro Manila are living in informal settlements. Out of 544,609 squatter families, 19 percent or around 75,000 are living in danger areas such as riverbanks, esteros, under the bridges, railways, roadways or sidewalks and aqueducts, MMIAC said. President Macapagal Arroyo has ordered the immediate relocation of families near waterways following the massive flooding caused by tropical storm “Ondoy" last Sept. 26. “The provision of shelter for the ever-increasing informal settlers in Metro Manila remains a challenging task for the government but it is not an impassible job," the report said. The report was among the documents submitted by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to the Supreme Court last Oct. 13 in compliance with the tribunal’s December 2008 decision ordering government agencies to clean up Manila Bay. The MMIAC said these squatter families as well as those affected by the implementation of government infrastructure projects would be prioritized in the implementation of its 10-year housing program. Under the program, the government needs to produce social housing 305 units per day or an additional 30,859 units per year over the current production of 30,141 units. The agency said the government needs to produce additional 14,922 units every year in addition to the current production of 7,767 units to adequately address the problem on illegal settlers. It also said the development of an “off-site/off-city resettlement areas" would cost the government P200,000 just to resettle one squatter family in relocation areas like Calauan, Laguna. For socialized or public housing, the MMIAC said the total requirement is estimated at 22,689 units with a funding requirement of P3.225 billion per year. MMIAC was established by President Arroyo in 2007 to help the government deal with Metro Manila's perennial squatting problem. It is composed of the MMA, Housing and Urban Development and Coordinating Council, National Housing Authority, Presidential Commission on Urban Poor, Commission on Human Rights, Office of the Undersecretary for Religious Urban, Caritas Manila, and various urban poor office in Metro Manila. - GMANews.TV