Family spends last night in shelter

For Adora Arcilla and her six children, this may be the last time they leave their flood-submerged house and spend the night, huddled together for warmth, on the cold floor of an evacuation center.

According to Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos, around 80 families, including the Arcillas, who live beside a creek in Barangay Poblacion—an area considered a “danger zone”—will soon be relocated to a housing site at Trece Martires in Cavite province.

Abalos said the lead agency for the project, the National Housing Authority (NHA), had told him that the housing site was 100 percent complete.

“Yes, that’s what Chairman Chito Cruz of NHA informed me,” he told the Inquirer at Mandaluyong Elementary School where he welcomed President Aquino who distributed relief goods to evacuees.

Abalos said that local authorities had been “in constant dialogue” with the [affected] families with arrangements for their transfer made since last year.

“We made it clear to them even during the elections that should I win, they would still have to go,” he added.

The families, Abalos said, had wholeheartedly accepted their transfer to the relocation site which was just one jeepney ride away from the nearest work site.

“I think this will be one of the last batches (of informal settlers in danger zones) in Mandaluyong,” he told the INQUIRER.

Arcilla, who was seated in a chair at the evacuation center with two of her children, said she was happy that her family was among those to be relocated.

She said her house was always flooded every time it rained, making her fear for the safety of her children.

Over the past few days, the heavy rains due to the southwest monsoon enhanced by Tropical Storm “Maring” have led to chest-deep floodwaters inside their house, prompting her, her husband, Cirilo,  and their children to evacuate.

As of 1 p.m., there were 307 families or 1,631 individuals still staying at Mandaluyong Elementary School.