Water supply, more tents for old Mahiga dwellers

Water pipes and more tents were installed yesterday at the temporary relocation site for Mahiga Creek settlers in Block 27 of the city’s North Reclamation Area.

At least 10 tents are now ready for use by families whose shanties along the creek were demolished starting May 2, said Alvin Santillana, head of the city’s anti-disaster office.

City government workers also added filling materials in a low-lying portion of the compound to prevent flooding.

Meanwhile, the City Council approved a resolution requesting the National Housing Authority (NHA) to remove a 6-percent per annum interest on a P100-million loan offer to the city.

Councilor Alvin Dizon said the amount from the national government’s Poverty Alleviation Fund would be used to develop relocation sites for at least 3,000 urban poor families living along Cebu City’s waterways who would be displaced by clearing and dredging projects.

The city’s existing relocation sites cannot accommodate all these families, he said.

Copies of the council’s resolution will be sent to Vice President Jejomar Binay, NHA chairman.

At least 100 members of the Alliance of the Urban Poor staged a rally in front of the City Hall legislative building while the Cebu City Council was in session to call for the suspension of all demolitions in the city.

Dizon, chairman of the council’s committee on housing, said organizers invited him to join the rally.

“But I refused to, to prevent putting political color (on their cause),” he said.

Meanwhile, Kaabag Sugbu, a nongovernment organization, asked the city government to “explore all possible options before undertaking indiscriminate demolitions and evictions.”

The group said Mahiga Creek settlers deserve decent housing.

“Hence, we ask the city government to deliver social justice to those concerned by providing them with options before taking away their shelters and homes.”

The Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. also expressed their concern for the women and children affected by the clearing and dredging of Mahiga Creek.