‘Contributions’ for Bulacan homes

Kadamay members are asking the government to help them as they start a new life in housing sites in Bulacan province that they occupied in March. —EDWIN BACASMAS

The urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) will propose a pay scheme to President Duterte for the houses they forcibly occupied last month in government housing projects in Pandi town in Bulacan province, instead of committing to a loan amortization program as prescribed by housing laws.

Gloria Arellano, Kadamay chair, said they invited Mr. Duterte to their Labor Day gathering on April 30 to discuss their future at six government housing sites, including an area intended for soldiers, policemen, firemen and jail personnel.

She said they would prefer that the 5,000 houses they took over on March 8 be given to the families for free.

Community development

But should payments be required, she proposed that they be allowed to “contribute” money to be spent for the upkeep and services of their new neighborhood, such as a drainage system, pipelines for water, electricity and new roads.

According to Arellano, not every family has the means to raise money, and Kadamay may simply pool its resources for these projects.

“We are open to discuss payments but we will not pay monthly amortizations for each house because that would be a business transaction,” she said.

“What we want should [Kadamay] be made to pay for the houses is for the money to be used for community development so we can see for ourselves how the money raised by the poor is going to be spent,” she said.

She said Kadamay asked Mr. Duterte to see for himself the condition of the families who took over the idle houses.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) had issued eviction notices that were subsequently lifted when the families agreed to submit to a validation process for them to be considered housing applicants.

Mr. Duterte also appealed to soldiers and policemen to drop their applications for  these houses in favor of the Kadamay families to avoid a  violent ejection.

Arellano was in Pandi on Tuesday to join Sen. JV Ejercito, chair of the Senate committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement, and Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, chair of the House committee on housing and urban development, in their inspection of the houses at Villa Louise.

Substandard

They were accompanied by NHA general manager, Marcelino Escalada, and Pandi Mayor Celestino Marquez.

Villa Louise has over 1,700 units, each with a total floor area of 22 square meters, which the group said was “too small for a family of more than three people.”

“(The lawmakers) also confirmed that the materials used to build these houses were substandard. [Senator Ejercito] observed that the government would have to develop better plans for social housing in the future,” Arellano said. —CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE

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