Aussie gov’t, Taguig team up to make city safe

MANILA, Philippines—Soon, impoverished residents of Taguig City can live in houses and communities that, come hell or high water, will still stand firm.

The city government is embarking on an ambitious project to relocate residents in areas vulnerable to flood and quakes to safer ground in an effort to minimize casualties and injuries during natural calamities.

The project, known as Building the Resilience and Awareness of Metro Manila Communities to Disaster and Climate Change Impact, or Brace, is a joint effort between the city government and Australia with both entities pledging equal funding for the project.

Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano explained that the project was not just aimed at building “disaster resilient” houses for the city’s residents but also targeted the construction of self-sustaining communities so that affected residents would not go back to their former dwellings.

“This will actually be the first disaster-resilient housing project in the Philippines which will benefit residents who live in places prone to flooding or at risk … during earthquakes,” Cayetano told reporters at the sidelines of the visit of Australia Governor General Quentin Bryce to Taguig City last week.

Australia pledged 30 million Australian dollars (P1.2 billion) for the project, with the city government also footing an equal amount.

The project is expected to be completed by 2016.

Cayetano said the first component of the project—the updating of hazard maps for the city—had been completed, and areas at risk during typhoons and earthquakes had already been identified.

From these maps, three relatively safer areas in the city were identified and would serve as the site for medium-rise blocks, which would be used as a relocation area. The city’s land-use plan would also be modified to reflect the new hazard maps, Cayetano said.

The city government is now implementing the second component, which is training people on how to respond to various natural disasters and convincing residents in the identified disaster-prone areas to move out.

The relocation sites could be modeled after a Habitat for Humanity settlement at the FTI Compound in Taguig, which has a school, a church, areas for the planting of various fruits and vegetables, and recreational facilities.

“We aim to relocate around 9,000 households or families living along the shores of Laguna Lake and on the banks of rivers and creeks when the first relocation site is completed maybe next year,” Cayetano said.

The areas vacated by residents who have relocated would be turned into open green spaces and parks to prevent them from returning, she said.

Cayetano acknowledged that it would be hard to convince affected residents to be relocated but she said the city government was determined to push through with the project.

For her part, Bryce, the appointed representative of Queen Elizabeth II in Australia, lauded the project.

“I think it’s a wonderful program for Australia to be involved with. We renew our commitment to this project. I’m grateful to you for showing this to me,” Bryce told Cayetano during her visit.