Quezon City to barangay executives: Don't allow illegal settlers to stay

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista warned barangay officials yesterday that they could face charges for allowing illegal dwellers to stay in their areas of jurisdiction, saying he will focus on the housing needs of city residents.

“Our barangay officials should remember that…. Republic Act 7279 holds them directly accountable if they aid, abet or simply look the other way while informal settlers begin setting up their dwelling areas illegally in their areas of jurisdiction,” Bautista said during his first State of the City Address.

“All of us must make it our responsibility to prevent illegal structures, because it compromises the rest of our constituents and puts these informal settlers at risk for their own lives as well,” he added.

Bautista also announced that Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte has been tasked to head the city government’s Anti-Poverty Task Force, with the body formed to address the “multi-faceted requirements of our poor.”

“We must be more efficient and effective in our poverty alleviation programs. Information technology must be engaged as a tool to create a comprehensive database that will help us better ensure that resources allotted for these programs are effectively utilized for tailor-fit responses that have maximum impact on targeted beneficiaries,” he said.

Bautista said the task force will begin developing the database this year and link it to the national government’s National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction.

He said while Quezon City has more than 200,000 informal settlers, it “must not become a doormat for informal settlers” and should have a sustainable housing program.

According to Bautista, illegal settlers shall be removed from dangerous areas such as creeks, canals, sewers and put in resettlement areas in Quezon City.

He also mentioned the city government’s recent purchase of an eight-hectare lot by the border of Quezon City and Rodriguez, Rizal that can serve as a relocation site.

“Who can forget the devastation of (tropical storm) Ondoy?... I have directed our city engineers and planning people to prioritize for implementation the repair and improvement of embankments, ripraps and other flood control measures,” Bautista said.

He also said he would like to focus on the environment, with projects on energy-efficient streetlighting, the development of a new landfill, and the declaration of areas like the La Mesa Dam, the University of the Philippines campus and other areas as National Integrated Protected Areas.