Robredo backs Duterte on ‘no demolition without relocation’

President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leonor “Leni” Robredo. PHOTO FROM LENI MEDIA BUREAU

Vice President and housing czar Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo has expressed her support for the statement of President Rodrigo Duterte prohibiting the demolition of houses without the assurance of relocation under his watch.

READ: Duterte: No demolition without relocation during my term

“We support President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement regarding the importance of relocatable, safe, and sustainable housing for Filipinos, who are to be relocated,” Robredo said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We believe in advocating for the dignity of those who are relocated, and that necessitates houses that have connections to electrical lines and have running water,” she added.

In a dinner with the San Beda College of Law alumni in Malacañang, Duterte on Sunday reiterated his plan to prohibit demolition without relocation, adding that the government will look for suitable relocation areas for the poor.

Robredo noted that relocation sites should provide residents livelihood options and have access to jobs and schools.

READ: Robredo vows to cut 1.4M backlog in HUDCC

“We have long worked with families and communities on this advocacy, as many have previously been relocated to inhabitable and unsustainable areas,” the vice president said.

“We shall try our best to achieve this goal as HUDCC (Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council) chair,” she added.

Robredo earlier vowed to fulfill HUDCC’s mandate of providing decent housing for the poor, seeking to address the 1.4 million housing backlog. JE/rga

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