Houses for 35,000 poor families: plan

By GERALD LEIGH LAQUINON
Correspondent

THE government is planning on building houses for some 35,000 poor families in the city by 2022.

The plan was revealed by City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) chief Teodoro Sabuga-a even as he noted the proliferation of families living in the streets in downtown Cagayan de Oro.

Sabuga-a told this paper earlier that some of the families were Bajaus who came from other provinces. He said social welfare workers have observed that they flock to Cagayan de Oro ahead of the annual Feast of St. Augustine, the predominantly Roman Catholic city’s patron saint.

“We will help them,” he told the Gold Star Daily.

Sabuga-a said the government, based on a shelter plan, is working to provide houses to some 35,000 families in the city.

“We are planning to build houses every year… until 2022, and give these to those who need it,” he said.

Sabuga-a said families living near riverbanks and other dangerous places, those displaced as a result of government projects, and informal settlers affected by court demolition orders would be given priority.

Sabuga-a said efforts to implement the shelter program were delayed because Mayor Oscar Moreno’s proposed annual budget for the city was not approved much earlier.

“If only the budget for 2016 was approved as early as January, we could have purchased land and started building many houses now,” he said.

The city council approved a P2.46-billion budget for city hall last week, about half of what Moreno asked for.

Sabuga-a said P330 million of the annual budget sought by Moreno was intended for the shelter program.

Aside from the shelter program, Sabuga-a said the local government and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have been helping some 100 families of street dwellers in the city through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

He said they were  provided boarding houses where they can stay for six months for free while they receive skills training.

“The government pays for their rent and for their skills training while we take them to the food- and cash-for-work program so they can have income,” said Sabuga-a.

Meanwhile, Francisco Pagayamam, secretary general of Katipunan ng Damayang Mahihihap (Kadamay) here, said the problem on poverty and street dwellers here “are rooted on a greater social problem.”

“Most of them were forced to leave their provinces due to land monopoly by rural landlords, plantation expansions and mining operations,” said Pagayaman.

Pagayaman frowned over those who assert that the proliferation of beggars and informal settlers is a sign of development.

“The rise of tall buildings is not the true measure of development until it is not felt by the majority of the people,” said Pagayaman.

He said he and his group were hoping Mayor Moreno and the city council “will finally set aside their partisan duties and instead serve the people.”