Housing for informal settlers in Cebu Province to rise

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government is looking to build housing within its Sudlon property in Cebu City for informal settlers currently occupying portions of the area, as the Capitol moves to develop the site into an innovation and technology district.

Paulo Uy, head of the Cebu Provincial Investment and Promotions Office, said the province is considering an on-site housing scheme similar to the government’s 4PH housing program to avoid displacing families from the area where they have already established their homes and livelihoods.

Uy said the proposed housing would be constructed within the same provincial property, allowing informal settlers to remain in the area even as the Capitol pursues its planned development of the site.

“Since provincial properties that are occupied by informal settlers, our plan is to transfer them to a 4-PH housing, within the area ra,” Uy said.

Housing within sudlon

The Sudlon property covers around 5.2 hectares and is being eyed by the province for an innovation and technology district that would include a government-related center.

Uy said the housing plan is intended specifically for informal settlers occupying provincial properties, with the possibility of constructing multi-story buildings within the same area where the families are currently residing.

“So, it could be possible nga let's say naka sa Sudlon ang informal settler, so mag-build ta didto og building for the 4-PH, didto sila,” he said.

Uy said the Capitol has yet to finalize the arrangement with the affected families and will discuss the proposal with them, particularly on how the housing would work and what their eventual living arrangements would be.

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He acknowledged that the affected residents have already established their livelihoods in the area and that any relocation plan should consider this.

“Of course, ang kaning atong mga informal settlers, nanginabuhi na sad na sila diri, nanggusto lang man sad ni sila maluna ang ilang pagkabutang,” Uy said.

Rental-like arrangement

Under the current concept, the families would not be required to purchase the housing units. Instead, they would stay in the buildings under a rental-like arrangement and contribute a small amount for maintenance.

Uy said the planned units would be designed to provide basic living spaces, including rooms and kitchen areas, with the housing arrangement intended to accommodate families currently occupying the property.

“Morag ra na sila'g mag-abang ra sila, murag ra na sila'g ga-garantiya,” he said.

He explained that the province is considering assigning housing spaces based on the number of families living in a particular household rather than simply transferring an entire existing structure as one unit.

“For example, if ang napuyo sa balay is tulo ka pamilya, so adto sila tagsa-tagsaon,” Uy said.

Under the current concept, the residents would pay only a small amount for the maintenance of the building rather than purchase the units.

“Nya dili na nila paliton, murag ra na sila'g mobayad ra sila'g gamay para lang sa maintenance sa building,” Uy said.

Uy stressed, however, that the arrangement remains a working concept and could still change following further discussions with the affected residents.

Census underway

The exact number of families occupying the Sudlon property is also being updated, with the provincial government conducting another census of the residents.

Uy said the previous count had been below 1,000 families, but the number has since increased based on the latest assessment.

“Gi-re-census man to og balik, kay last time we checked mga wa man to kaabot 1,000, nya kay sobra na man sila,” Uy said.

The updated census is expected to help the province determine the scale of housing that may be needed if the in-place relocation plan pushes through.

Uy said the province would continue discussions with the occupants as it works out the details of the proposed housing arrangement.

“Igo ra mang hangyoon lang gyud sa mga occupant nga isurhan nato kay dili man lisod ang probinsya ikaistorya,” he said.

Part of sudlon development

The housing proposal comes as the Capitol prepares to develop the Sudlon property as an innovation and technology district, which the province sees as a potential government and technology center.

Uy said the overall concept is to develop the property into a government-related innovation and technology area that could accommodate technology companies, research and development activities, startups, and other knowledge-based businesses.

“Kaning IT area, mao gyud ang design niya. Murag siya government center nga innovation and technology. So, mao gyud ang overall concept niya,” Uy said.

He said the planned development would need to take into account the existing informal settlers while allowing the province to maximize the use of the property for its intended purpose. — (FREEMAN)