ISF group backs De Lima’s move to probe condition of 600,000 relocated families

Sen. Leila de Lima (Photo from her Facebook page)

A group of informal settler families (ISFs) on Saturday expressed its full support on the planned Senate investigation into the living condition and impending eviction of around 600,000 families that had been relocated to 69 resettlement areas of the National Housing Authority (NHA).

Homeowners Federation of Northville and Southville, Inc. (HFNSI) head Josephtos Nilo said they were increasingly worried about their possible eviction due to their failure to settle their outstanding arrears and penalties.

“Mahigit 10 taon na mula nang kami ay ilipat ng gobyerno ngunit hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin umaangat ang antas ng aming pamumuhay bagkus ay patuloy kaming binabagabag ng kahirapan, pangamba, at kawalan ng katiyakan sa paninirahan,” he said in an earlier statement.

(It’s been almost 10 years since the government relocated us, but until today there has been no progress in our lives, our status in life remains the same. In fact we are continually hounded by fear, worry, poverty, and hopelessness in our wish to have our own place to live in.)

“Napalayas na po kami mula sa dati naming mga tahanan at nalipat nga sa mga relocation sites na ito pero ngayon ay libu-libo na naman sa amin ang nanganganib na muling mapaalis dahil sa inilabas ng NHA na Memorandum Circular 2506,” he added.

(We had been evicted from our previous place and relocated to a new site but today thousands of us are facing yet again another possible eviction because of the newly released NHA Memorandum Circular 2506.)

Nilo was referring to NHA MC No. 2506, which defines illegal occupants as those “whose contracts were cancelled due to arrearages of more than three months and those with contracts that matured or expired but who have not fully settled their obligations.”

Due to the NHA memorandum, he said the families who have been relocated to 69 Northville and Southville resettlement areas of the NHA are now in danger of being evicted.

“Hindi biro ang sitwasyon sa mga komunidad tulad ng Northville at Southville; walang kabuhayan o trabaho at kung may pinagkikitaan ay kulang na kulang pa rin.  May mga nagbabayad naman po pero ayaw ng NHA ng partial payment kaya lalo kaming nababaon sa utang,” Nilo said.

(The situation in our community is no joke, like in Northville and Southville there has been no source of income or available jobs for us and when there is a part-time source of living, it is still not enough for us. There had been some of us willing to pay in small amounts, but the NHA doesn’t want partial payment that is why we are being overwhelmed by our debts.)

Last Oct. 29, Senator Leila De Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 535 urging the Senate housing and resettlement committee chaired by Senator JV Ejercito to look into the plight of the residents of Northville and Southville resettlement areas.

From 2005 to 2014, De Lima said more than 600,000 ISFs from Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna who were residing along railroad tracks were affected by the Northrail and Southrail projects.

The senator also noted that NHA has commissioned collection agencies and law firms to help the government in collecting arrears from the informal settler families “without regard to their living conditions in the relocation sites.”

“These collection agencies and law firms do not consider the challenges the residents are facing, most of which arose from, or are directly related to, their relocation to these remote areas,” De Lima said.

“Due to the strict implementation of the penalties due to the amortization arrears, most of the Northville and Southville residents are facing an increasing debt that are fast becoming insurmountable given their current conditions,” she added. /jpv

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