MANILA, Philippines - The government is determined to give informal settlers new homes to save them from danger, especially in times of calamities, President Aquino said yesterday.
Speaking at the Urban Poor Solidarity Week held in Malacañang, Aquino noted that 48,358 housing units had been built by the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) from July 2010 to November this year.
The President said the government’s Resettlement Program with P10.55-billion funding was continuing under the Disbursement Accelerated Program 2011.
Last November, 4,890 off-city housing units had been completed in Metro Manila. “Another good news: In August, the P169.4-million contract for the Iloilo Resettlement Project, where 1,000 housing units will be built within a 5.6-hectare property in Jaro, Iloilo, has been awarded. The target completion of the project is July of 2013,” Aquino said.
The President said thousands of families had been resettled from danger areas and saved from disasters.
Aquino said the urban poor communities had been working to improve their condition through trainings and other projects.
He also paid tribute to the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who had initiated the transfer of informal settlers to better locations.
Aquino said incumbent Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman would continue the work of Robredo to uplift the lives of the urban poor.
He admitted that the government would still have to work hard to improve the living condition of some 1.4 million Filipino families considered informal settlers.
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said administration officials were aware that they were racing against time to make significant reforms that could be felt by the people.
In a chance meeting with reporters Wednesday night, Ochoa said although the President was happy with the way things were turning out, they were aware that there is still much to be done.
He said after two and a half years, Palace officials were always assessing what has happened since they assumed office and what else could be achieved in the next three and a half years.