Brgy Housing Committee to aid urban poor soon

CEBU, Philippines - The creation of a Barangay Housing Committee to help monitor demolitions and evictions at the barangay level is expected to push through this year and will be functional next year.

Cebu city councilor Alvin Dizon who chairs the Committee on Housing at the city council said his proposed resolution for the creation of a barangay housing committee will be passed anytime this month.

Dizon, who left the other day for Belgium, said the concept is for the barangay housing committee to be a parallel committee like that of the local housing committee of Cebu City Government.

The barangay housing committee will be headed by the barangay captain and co –chaired by the barangay kagawad handling the committee on housing. Dizon said other members will be from the people’s organizations and NGO’s in the barangay.

“Ang NGO ug PO’s representative pilian sa kapitan isip ilang partner unya sa committee. I hope makapasar this year atong proposed ordinance para sa next year functional nata. Importante ni ang housing committee para ma-empower nato ang mga barangays, kung naay mga demolition mahibawo kinsay duolon ug unsay angayan buhaton,” Dizon said.

The housing committee will also have its own monitoring system on demolition and eviction, wherein the informal settlers after receiving the demand letter will report directly to the monitoring system and will be forwarded to Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP).

All ejectment complaints from the barangay Lupon will also be forwarded to barangay monitoring system before it reaches PCUP.

Part of the creation of the Barangay Housing Committee is the initiative of the PCUP who conducted one day seminar to selected barangay captains for an in-depth understanding about Republic Act 7279 otherwise known as Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) which outlines a three point agenda namely fostering people’s participation in the urban development process, empowerment of LGU to address urban development issues like homelessness and private section participation in the national shelter program.

In the said seminar, PCUP also reminded the barangay officials about the prohibition against new illegal structures which states “it shall be unlawful for any person to construct any structure in areas and the barangay, municipal or city government units shall prevent the construction of any kind of illegal dwelling units of structures which their respective localities.

The head of any local government unit concerned who allows, abets, or otherwise tolerates the construction of any structures shall be liable for administrative sanction. – (FREEMAN)