Only bona fide Baseco residents qualified for housing program
August 1, 2004 | 12:00am
The city government of Manila rejected yesterday a plan to use the Baseco Compound in Port Area, Manila as a resettlement site for squatters in the metropolis.
Manila Urban Settlements officer Deogracias Tablan said only bona fide beneficiaries of the housing development of the Baseco Compound being undertaken by the city would be accommodated. The beneficiaries are all current residents in the area.
"If ever there would be excess lots or future sites to be developed in the area, these would be used as an in-city relocation site for the city’s informal settlers," he said.
Tablan was reacting to a plan of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission to use Baseco as a resettlement site for the informal settlers along the banks of the Pasig River within the territorial boundaries of Metro Manila.
He cited Presidential Proclamation 145, which provides all bona fide occupants in the area more permanent land tenure status.
Tablan also made it clear that Manila is the lead agency in the implementation of the Baseco on-site housing development project.
"The city government already had on-site improvement plans even before the three fires that broke out in the area in the past several years, but we decided to implement a more comprehensive subdivision plan right after the first fire," he said.
The 50-hectare compound was mostly underwater with shanties built on top of stilts and connected only by rickety wooden walkways. Since the first fire, the city government, with the support of President Arroyo, has reclaimed a substantial portion and has developed into a mass-housing project for the residents in the area.
Portions that have been reclaimed and developed already have basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity and water, with the lots already subdivided and awarded to beneficiaries.
"The housing project cannot accommodate everyone. It is primarily for the bona fide residents of the area, especially those rendered homeless by the three fires that occurred. If ever we would accommodate other settlers, this would be limited to those in other areas in Manila who need to be relocated," Tablan explained.
He also corrected published reports that the compound used to be a garbage dump, pointing out that was the Smokey Mountain area, which Baseco is not part of. – Cecille Suerte Felipe
Manila Urban Settlements officer Deogracias Tablan said only bona fide beneficiaries of the housing development of the Baseco Compound being undertaken by the city would be accommodated. The beneficiaries are all current residents in the area.
"If ever there would be excess lots or future sites to be developed in the area, these would be used as an in-city relocation site for the city’s informal settlers," he said.
Tablan was reacting to a plan of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission to use Baseco as a resettlement site for the informal settlers along the banks of the Pasig River within the territorial boundaries of Metro Manila.
He cited Presidential Proclamation 145, which provides all bona fide occupants in the area more permanent land tenure status.
Tablan also made it clear that Manila is the lead agency in the implementation of the Baseco on-site housing development project.
"The city government already had on-site improvement plans even before the three fires that broke out in the area in the past several years, but we decided to implement a more comprehensive subdivision plan right after the first fire," he said.
The 50-hectare compound was mostly underwater with shanties built on top of stilts and connected only by rickety wooden walkways. Since the first fire, the city government, with the support of President Arroyo, has reclaimed a substantial portion and has developed into a mass-housing project for the residents in the area.
Portions that have been reclaimed and developed already have basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity and water, with the lots already subdivided and awarded to beneficiaries.
"The housing project cannot accommodate everyone. It is primarily for the bona fide residents of the area, especially those rendered homeless by the three fires that occurred. If ever we would accommodate other settlers, this would be limited to those in other areas in Manila who need to be relocated," Tablan explained.
He also corrected published reports that the compound used to be a garbage dump, pointing out that was the Smokey Mountain area, which Baseco is not part of. – Cecille Suerte Felipe
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