3 councilors told to come up guidelines on cash assistance

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has directed three city councilors to come up with a program and guidelines in the granting of financial assistance to informal settlers who will be affected of the city’s continuous clearing of the creeks and riverbanks.

Rama tasked Councilors Alvin Dizon, Sisinio Andales and Joey Daluz to formulate the guidelines after he already agreed to give assistance on a case-to-case to affected families.

There are close to 500 houses along the creeks that are scheduled to be demolished. Rama agrees to give them assistance on condition that they are city residents and have not been given financial aid before.

“Daghan ang nakadawat og financial assistance before pero namalik. Government should be circumspect, government should know where to stand kay ma-abusaran man ta. Kung mohatag man ta kinahanglan atong klarohon,” Rama said.

Aside from the financial assistance, the mayor also wants programs for them especially in the purchase of relocation lots. Rama observed that the city has been buying lots for relocation but only half of them were used for the purpose because of its location.

“My office is aware of this problem,” the mayor added.

In line with the effort to address the problem of informal settlers, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) already released the guidelines for the prevention and control of the proliferation of squatters in the country particularly in the urban areas.

The guidelines were embodied in a memorandum circular issued by DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo to all provincial governors, city and municipal mayors and punong barangays.

In his directive, Robredo has enjoined all   punong barangays, as well as the   sangguniang barangays, to adopt measures to effectively curtail the proliferation of squatters and mendicants in their communities.

The DILG urged punong barangays to find ways to relocate existing informal settlers to a site with due regard to general welfare and well-being and called on the city and municipal mayors to closely monitor the actions or inactions of the punong barangays relative to the prevention and control of the proliferation of informal settlers.

The mayors were also prevented from interfering in the lawful efforts of a punong barangay or of any appropriate government agency personnel to clear an area from informal settlers instead provide them with technical, financial and other possible forms of assistance to the concerned punong barangay in addressing the problem of informal settlement.

The rampant proliferation of informal settlers has been a nagging perennial problem that besets, particularly urban local governments, and despite government efforts, it thrive and, by necessary implication are the unsightly manifestations of urban decay and intergenerational neglect, he said. –(FREEMAN)