Urban poor cry foul over Soc's proposal

CEBU, Philippines - Officials of Talisay City’s urban poor federation are opposed to Mayor Socrates Fernandez’s proposal to use the trust fund intended for them to purchase more lots.

In their recent meeting of the officers and members of the Federation of Talisay City Urban Poor Dwellers Association (Fetcuda) held at the Local Housing Office, the presidents of the urban poor organizations said their disapproval to the plan which was relayed by Ma. Llura Layon of the Philippine Commission for the Urban Poor.

Layon said the city’s allocation for lot purchases has already been exhausted when it went on a lot-buying spree before the elections.

In its P437.6 million budget this year, the city has set aside P14 million for site development, lot and right of way purchases.

And since practically every month before the May 10 elections the city has been buying parcels of lots for various barangay projects, this funds was easily exhausted early on, said Layon.

Now, the city has to buy another lot again for the extension of a public cemetery in barangay Poblacion, and since it no longer has money for such purpose, Layon said Fernandez’s “close aides” have advised him to instead use the trust fund collected from monthly amortization from the socialized housing beneficiaries.

In these savings is also where the mandatory 20% socialized housing component of subdivision developers, as some would opt to just give cash rather than parcels of lots, goes.

Layon said the trust fund, which is intended for the urban poor, should not be used for lot purchases, as there is special allocation for that.

The amount is reportedly in millions already.

The group has agreed to attend in one of the city council sessions this month to express its disapproval of the plan.

Meanwhile, Fetcuda officers and members were also dismayed at the way the city had spent the funds under the lot purchases item, especially that it went ahead without the consent of the Local Housing Board, which should have been dictated by law.

In most of the purchases, when it would have been the board first before the city council would approve it, but it went straight to the council without the resolutions of the board.

“Dili maayo ang style, dapat moagi unta sa Local Housing Board,” said Layon to the urban poor officials.

But Vice Mayor Alan Bucao, who was presiding officer in the last council, denied that their resolutions allowing Fernandez to buy lots had no Local Housing Board approval.

He however remembered one, which was for a lot in barangay Pooc, which they approved sans a board resolution, “but with a whereas, that it would be good as null if the resolution would not be attached” once it goes to the mayor for approval.

Other than that, Bucao said he does not remember any other instance when they bypassed the board.

The city may have several relocation sites for its homeless, but there are at least, unregistered not included, 13,000 families who have yet to avail of its housing project projects, with which their officers are now worried they would likely get these soon if the same thing happens in this new administration, which had earlier promised to listen to their concerns in the last campaign period. (FREEMAN NEWS)