The approval of an ordinance passed by majority of the Bacolod City Council, regarding the urban poor, could once and for all provide immense relief for the sector, because it contains provisions which would negate the usual disadvantages that usually face the particular sector in case of demolitions or any other form of inconveniences facing the urban poor as they did in previous years.
This was learned by NNF/NDB during an interview with First Five Councilor El Cid Familiaran who said City Ordinance No. 593 passed June 15 this year provides many advantages for the urban poor, basing as it is on various provisions passed by the United Nations, the Philippine government itself and other laws and regulations passed previously related to the usually contentious demolitions of relocation among the urban poor sector, who reside in the urban section of towns and cities. In an interview with “Tungkaron Ta Ini”, Program hosted by broadcasters Edgar Cadagat and Jeffrey Gelangre over Radio station DYRL last Sunday, Familiaran said the ordinance titled “An Ordinance Establishing a Comprehensive. Sustainable Development Program for Shelter, Service and Poverty Alleviation of Informal Settlers in Bacolod City provides among other things, a large form of relief for urban poor dwellers or squatters.” On demolitions and evictions, it provides in a section that demolitions as a matter of policy is to be discouraged by the city and can only be done if the structures are located along danger zones, if the urban poor residents are living in zoned areas other than residential, if they are issued court orders and have already been provided relocation areas but are recalcitrant. * On government-owned property, another section provides that government-owned property which is occupied by informal settlers shall be considered as priority for on-site development in the city, off-site or relocation centers bought by the city government for the use of the urban poor, shall be provided with basic services, while urban poor residents shall be given the first option to buy privately-owned property they already occupy, the 20 percent balance housing as provided for shall be conducted within the city under the following conditions or options, and which are the development of CMP sites, development of relocation sites, constitution of relocation sites in the relocation units and construction of medium-rise housing for informal settlers. More importantly, the city shall purchase land for relocation sites, onsite development and medium-rise housing especially in onshore areas of the city. Furthermore, coastal areas will be divided into three areas in the city, and allocated for the use of residents already living there especially fisherfolks who are not to be relocated elsewhere. While demolitions are oftentimes done without any regard for the weather, season or inconveniences of urban poor families and their children now, relocations and demolitions will be done during the end of the school seasons. To systemize the city government’s program of the urban poor, a Bacolod Local Housing Board (BLHB) will be established to ensure that the program for the urban poor and other aspects related to it, will be exhaustively discussed and deliberated upon to humanize implementation of programs for this sector, which in the past, topped as many as 100,000. The members of the BLHB will be the city mayor, SP Committee on Urban Poor and Relocation One (1) representative from Gawad Kalinga, one representative from the Habitat on Humanity, three representative from NGOs who are working for urban poor upliftment, three representatives from the CPDO, one (1) representatives from the Bacolod Housing Authority (BHA). The mayor is to convene the BLHB within thirty days. The ordinance was passed unanimously by the SP.*(EAC) Edgar A. Cadagat Negros Daily Bulletin
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