[ manilastandardtoday.com ] March 7, 2008
By Joyce Pangco Pañares
PRESIDENT Arroyo has transferred the responsibility of demolishing shanties and evicting squatters in the provinces to local governments, a move that has taken some community leaders by surprise.
Executive Order 708 gives local governments six months to set up their own housing boards to take over the functions of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor in their respective jurisdictions.
The President said the move was in line with her government’s policy of promoting local autonomy and decentralization, but the League of Provinces complained it had no money to take on the new role.
“Where would we get funds for this?” asked the league’s secretary, Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, who said most of the local governments had already allocated their budgets.
“This has to be fleshed out. Once you remove these illegal settlers, you have to have resettlement areas and these would need a lot of social services like schools. We also need support for this,” Evardone said.
In her order, the President tasked the Department of the Interior and Local Government to issue guidelines for the creation of the local housing boards.
Also yesterday, the President abolished the position of presidential chief-of-staff, after the office had been left vacant for almost a year.
The position, previously held by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda and former Rep. Michael Defensor, was created in February 2003.
The presidential chief-of-staff had three functions: to take care of the President, to act as a policy adviser, and to be a presidential advocate.
Defensor resigned from the position to run for senator under the administration’s Team Unity ticket in the May 2007 elections.
Salceda, who succeeded him, held the position for less than three months before running for Albay governor last year.
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