‘P2K, not P45K downpayment for relocation’

Settlers of sitio Mahayag live in tents rather than move to the relocation site in Paknaan due to the mistaken belief that they were required to make a P45,000 down payment.
CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Manlifa Zuniega quit her job as a saleslady at a mall to help her mother find a home before they are driven out of their shanty in sitio Mahayag, barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.

Last Monday, her mother Adelaida  and other settlers confronted the Mandaue City Hall demolition team,  tasked to dismantle the remaining shanties in the area on or before Dec. 15.

“Where can I get P45,000 as downpayment for the house and lot at the Pakna-an relocation site? And if I had that money, I don’t want my family to live in a place where there is no proper drainage and no electricity,” Manlifa said in Cebuano.

But Tony Pet Juanico, Housing and Development Office (HUDO) chief of Mandaue City Hall said the settlers were mistaken. The  down payment for the house and lot in  Pakna-an  is only P2,040 and not P45,000 as mandated by the Social Housing Finance Corp.

“All they have to do is come here and sign some documents for the release of the assistance, because we cannot do this for them. The Commission on Audit will surely question us about this. If they choose the relocation site, they can also approach us so we can help them process the papers,” Juanico said.

Reclaimed

He said 100 out of the 153 sitio Mahayag beneficiaries who relocated to Pakna-an will only pay P1,800 per month.

The remaining 53 families chose to accept  the P17,000 financial aid and P10,000 as livelihood assistance.

The 6.5 hectare relocation site in Paknaan is nearly one kilometer from the highway.

The reclaimed area, filled with limestone, turns  muddy during rainy days.

While most of the relocation area now have electric connections and water, the area occupied by the families from sitios Mahusay and Mahayag don’t have  water connections.

Better life

They have power and a daycare center but no drainage system.

Felix Jumao-as Jr. of sitio Mahusay said his family still lives in a shanty in the relocation site after moving there two weeks ago.

“This is better than going back to my province because I cannot find a job there,” Jumao-as said.

Juanico assured the beneficiaries that their situation will improve soon.

“The site development is ongoing and they will have a better life in the area in no time,” he said.

In the meantime, Adelaida Zuniega kept herself busy yesterday decorating a five-foot  yellow Christmas tree made of cellophane put together with neighbors.

“This Christmas tree will be a sign of our joy and hope that we will celebrate Christmas in our area and that we won’t go away,” she said.