Naga families want dry relocation site

NAGA city officials will have to look for a new relocation site for   26 families who fled their homes after   a landslide hit the mountain slope area they occupied in barangay Naalad, Naga City last May 28.

The private lot the city arranged to rent from a foundation is near a riverbed  that reportedly gets flooded easily when it rains.

“I’ve been living in this area all my life, I’m aware of the water’s reach when it floods,” said 29-year-old mother Paraluman Omambac.

Only five of the 26 families stay at an elevated part of the  relocation site.  The rest occupy areas  10 meters away from the riverbed.

The relocation area, which is near the residents’ original village, is owned by the Hospicio de San Jose de Barili, a facililty for the aged.

Yesterday morning, representatives of the foundation  went to the area to appropriate the 30-square-meter lot  per family area to be rented for each family for P90 a month. Most of the residents were assigned in an area near the riverbank.

They’re afraid that their houses would be swept away since the river’s water level is known to rise quickly.

“We just want elevated lots that will be safe from the flood,” Omamboc said.

If they won’t be moved to an elevated area, Omamboc said she and her three children would rather return to their old house even though it sits  on a landslide-prone area.

She said they raised their concerns to Naga City Mayor Val Chiong.

The mayor assured them  that they would negotiate with the land owners to have them occupy an elevated area.

The Naga City government already distributed  P10,000 financial assistance  to each family  last Saturday.

Some families  already installed permanent house posts   while some still remained in their improvised tents. Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya