Angat River relocation starts

BUSTOS, Bulacan—After a month’s delay, the provincial government has started relocating residents living along Angat River to their new homes in Barangay (village) Catacte here.

The first 72 families from Norzagaray, Pulilan and this town transferred to the Bulacan Heights resettlement village, a relocation site jointly built for them by the provincial government and the National Housing Authority.

Provincial officials have programmed the relocation of 3,000 squatter families from five villages in Angat, six villages in Baliwag, eight villages in Bustos, two villages in Norzagaray, nine villages in Plaridel and a community in Pulilan.

But they had to reschedule the September relocation for the first 1,000 families to October to allow workers time to complete the resettlement site.

The relocation village is 8 kilometers from the municipal hall and 6 km from the newly opened Plaridel bypass road.

Leah Santiago, 41, from Barangay Matictic in Nozagaray, said moving meant her family would finally enjoy Christmas. She said the late storms, some taking place toward the end of the year, had made her fearful about living near the river.

“We are grateful for a sturdier and more secure home. We won’t stay up all night worrying over the effects of a storm or if the rain will be strong and the dams have to discharge water,” she said.

Arlene Pascual, provincial planning and development officer, said they intend to move the first 1,100 families by the year’s end. She said the next batch of settlers would come from Baliwag, Angat and Plaridel. The remaining 1,900 families will be transferred in the first three months of 2014.

The relocation site has a multipurpose hall and a school. Its water and power connections have been completed.

Antonio Tengco, chair of Hiyas Water Resources Inc., the local water distributor, said the resettled families would be charged a minimum monthly fee of P80 for every 5 cubic meters of water, or half of what the firm charges its regular subscribers. Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon