Urban poor lawyer now heads DWUP

CEBU, Philippines - The new chief of the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor hails from an urban poor community in Barangay Calamba.

Atty. Collin Rosell was a hero to his fellow homeowners in sitio Mahayahay, Calamba, after he stood and fight to prevent the demolition of some 200 families, including his own, years ago.

His experience and heart for the urban could have convinced Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to choose him for the position.

Rosell was designated as OIC-Chief of DWUP effective May 10 but he will officially report to office today.

Former DWUP chief Danilo Gabiana is now back at the Department of Public Services which is his mother unit.

Rosell is a law practitioner who prioritizes urban poor clients threatened to be evicted from the lot they are occupying.

His major client is the Mahayahay Alopez Homeowner’s Association (MAHAL) which he is heading as the President since 2004.

Rosell, 39, is also a registered nurse. He graduated from the Cebu Doctor’s University in 1993 and placed eight in the nursing board exam.

He decided to become a lawyer because he believes that someone has to protect his community. He graduated law from the University of Cebu in 2007 and was admitted to the bar in 2008.

While admitting that he himself, had a bad experience with DWUP, he promised to clean the office and make it more responsive to the needs of the urban poor.

“Based on my experience, it seems that there was no real housing program for the poor in Cebu City. It’s what pushed me to open the avenue. Being in-charged of DWUP, I have the chance to implement the programs in accordance with how it should be implemented,” he said.

Rosell traces his connection with DWUP back when he started working on the application of MAHAL as a socialized housing community more than five years ago.

Until now, MAHAL is applying to become a socialized housing site so with the help of the city government, the residents will have the chance to own the lot they have been occupying for many years.

But they have applied several times and were given a run-around in the DWUP, he recalled. After many times of attempt, he said, he has already mastered the process and already has an idea of the ins and outs of the office.

MAHAL is supposedly a housing site long time ago based on the ordinance passed by the City Council. But DWUP allegedly refused to recognize them.

There had been several times where a group of alleged personnel from DWUP conducted a survey on their lot and asked them to pay P1,500 per lot. Not long, he found out that the residents are not required to pay for the survey.

Rosell said his community has been a victim of corruption by those who are claiming to be personnel of the office.

“I want to change the approach of DWUP to direct all its efforts to the community. I want to make sure that there will be an urban poor program for the needy, not only during elections,” he said. – (FREEMAN)