MANILA — In a bid to provide decent housing to homeless low-income residents, the Quezon City Council has urged the city government to include a portion of the Lupang Pangako as area for priority development.
This move is incorporated in the City Resolution 7196-2017 which has been approved in August 2017.
Councilor Precious Hipolito-Castelo, the resolution’s author, said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday that the council wants the local government to focus the many development projects in Payatas and improve on them.
“Payatas naman medyo nagkakaron na s’ya ng (it is having some sort of) improvement, nade-develop na s’ya (it is being developed) and we want the city government to focus on lot projects, develop city parks, playgrounds, open spaces to be beautified, road lots to be cemented, so on and so forth,” Castelo said.
The resolution cited that the 439 square meter-property, located at Lot 13 Block 6, Lupang Pangako in Barangay Payatas, is owned by Benjamin Dizon registered in the Registry of Deeds of Quezon City which currently has informal settlers who have expressed their willingness to purchase the property through a Community Mortgage Program (CMP).
Castelo said that “anyone who earns money from a small business and capable of being a Pag-IBIG member can be a beneficiary of socialized housing project or CMP with monthly amortization”.
“If you’re capable of being a Pag-IBIG member and you are capable of owning a small unit like an apartment then you could be a socialized housing project beneficiary now that there is also a component of the CMP project wherein you have your own home basta lang (only that it is) not below 25 square meters you can be a beneficiary of the CMP Pa-lupa Project,” she said.
Castelo added she hopes the local government would focus on the proposal notwithstanding the infrastructure projects and livelihood programs as it would benefit hundreds of families.
“Kung puro ka naman (If you will always have) Pa-Lupa project, aasa naman lahat yan, mas na-a-appreciate ko ang humihingi ng trabaho. Kelangan din may makukuhaan din sila ng trabaho para ma-sustain nila yung pagbabayad para sa (all of them will depend on you, I appreciate more those who request for jobs. They will also need to have source of work so they can sustain the payment for) Pa-Lupa,” she added.
The efforts of the council is anchored with the Philippine Constitution’s basic provision that the state shall undertake land reform and social housing programs to provide deserving landless or inadequately sheltered low-income resident citizens reasonable opportunities to acquire land and decent housing. (Ma. Teresa Montemayor/PNA)
