TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways and the Sangguniang Panlungsod officials of this city are both correct on their respective stand with regards to the fillng of cases against illegal settlers in Tacloban.
This was according to Councilor Jerry Uy, the committee chair of laws, rules and privileges.
Uy, who is also a lawyer, stressed that the DPWH-Tacloban sub-district officials are supported by laws as their basis in implementing their program on road right of way (RROW) to take all illegal structure along the road.
“They are just implementing it to widen the road,” Uy said.
“But in our present law, informal settlers must be provided with relocation site before their houses can be subjected for demolition,” he added.
Based in the records of the City Social Welfare and Develoment Office, there are around5,000 informal settlers in Tacloban which needs to be given with proper attention by providing them their relocation or resettlement sites.
There are reports that some of the informal settlers who are affected with the RROW project had a dialogue with the Tacloban sub-district officials and were given a resettlement site located in the northern area of the city.
However, the identified relocation site of the city government was rejected by those who will be affected by the demolition, Uy said.
“What they should provide is a resettlement area which the people will approve,” he stressed.
Councilor Jerry Yaokasin said that this problem of relocating the informal settlers can be addressed properly if there is one office that will handle their problem.
The city council has earlier approved an ordinance creating the Urban Poor Affairs Office only to be vetoed by Mayor Alfred Romualdez.
Said odinance was authored by Councilor Niel Glova, charman of the committee on urban poor.
“If the mayor had just signed that ordinance, this problem will not exist because there is an office where these people will go and provide solution to their problem,” said Yaokasin.
“I don’t know and I don’t understand why this was vetoed by the mayor.I don’t know what’s in his mind and what kind of solution is he thinking of right to address this because this needs a long term program,” Yaokasin said.
“If they want to find solution to this problem, it should not stop in identifying resettlement sites as other basic needs of those to be affected must also be provided, such as their needs on education, livelihood and sanitation,” Yaokasin said.
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