The Cebu City ‘Task Force Gubat sa Baha’ started on August 24 2022 the tagging and serving of notices of public hearing to owners of establishment that are located within the three-meter river easement.| Photos courtesy of Gerry Carillo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 4,000 families in Cebu City live within the three-meter easement zone of the eight major waterways here.
These families will have to be relocated soon to avoid risks to their safety, according to Atty. Jerone Castillo, the co-chairman of the city’s ‘Task Force Gubat sa Baha’ program.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 31, Castillo said that they already completed the tagging of structures that encroached the three-meter easement zone of major rivers here.
“As of this time, ang kanang walo ka waterways and river systems, na tag na g’yod ang mga tawo, and we are looking at about initially 4,000 families that will have to be relocated,” he said.
Castillo said the city government is now in the process of preparing and finalizing programs for the temporary housing of the affected families.
In the meantime, he said, the city signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) for the implementation of a housing program for families who can afford to buy units from the agency’s vertical housing program.
“I was even surprised nga pag due diligence namo sa river nga easement, naa may (household nga ang) income nga muabot og tag P50,000 a month. It was surprising nga naa man diay sila nagpuyo sa atong three-meter easement when they have the capacity to buy [decent housing]units,” he said.
“Mao na nga iconsolidate sa nato tanan. I think the other day or last week, naabot na diri ang undersecretary sa DHSUD, gi-launch na ang program. We will be coordinating with Pag-ibig… nag start na ta og registration process for those who are capable to buy kay i grupo man siya by group of 100, I suppose, for one building,” he added.
This program, Castillo said, will be done simultaneous with the temporary housing program of the city government and the medium-rise building (MRBs) program that the city will also implement in partnership with private developers as part of their social housing compliance.
“So, magdungan ni ang tanang mga housing components. Makita na na nato karong tuiga ang concrete action on that,” he added.
These MRBs will soon rise near the shore of Barangay Duljo Fatima to Barangay Mambaling to especially accommodate those who could not afford to pay for costly housing units.
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/dcb