$8.6-B MM project stalled anew

The implementation of the ambitious $8.6-billion Metro Manila Urban Services for the Poor (MMUSP) program will be delayed due to several major and technical reasons, one of which is the 2004 national elections.

The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) is the local agency for project implementation while the principal funding agency is the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

ADB sources said that there is an "unintentional or subconscious" slowdown in the program implementation due to the uncertainties of the national leadership since the national elections will be held in May next year. The urban upgrading plan runs for 15 years

"We have to be sure that there will be a long-term commitment towards the 15-year program which ends in 2017," the sources said.

The multilateral agency had already released a $1-million technical assistance grant the previous year. The grant served as capital to formulate a comprehensive urban regeneration and upgrading plan for Metro Manila, including the use of idle government land for balanced, integrated urban redevelopment with an emphasis on social equity for the poor.

Aside from the uncertainty of the National Government’s commitment, the urban upgrading plan has also met resistance from several sectors.

In the study and planning stage alone, problems already hounded the 15-year plan dubbed as a future Asian urban development showcase.

These include: problems on the right-of-way issue; lack of technical skills within the national and local levels; resistance from several government agencies or corporations; lack of comprehensive plans; lack of funding; resistance from affected municipalities and residents; and problems of valuation.

Among the government land parcels likely to be studied are the 76-hectare Welfareville property in Mandaluyong, the 450-hectare New Bilibid Prison property in Muntinlupa, and various Philippine National Railways parcels in Caloocan.

Components of the strategy would include urban poor housing, water supply and sanitation services, and associated municipal and social infrastructure. The project will also carry out rapid land use assessments and poverty mapping in selected local government units (LGUs), using high resolution satellite imagery, and provide training in computer-based geographic information systems for more rational urban planning and management.

"Utilizing this government land for in-city urban poor housing, integrated into a balanced urban development scheme, will enable LGUs to showcase sustainable urban sector improvements that have been achieved with proper urban planning," it said.

Metro Manila is a megacity of 17 cities and municipalities with a population of over 12 million with a growth rate of 3.3 percent per annum. Over 20 percent of the population are classified as living either below or near the poverty line, and 35 percent reside in informal slum or squatters settlements. The settlements’ growth and demand for services have overwhelmed the capacity of the government and non-government organizations. Major slum upgrading efforts were last undertaken in the 1970s, but attempts to resettle the urban poor to remote sites have generally failed.