Tuesday, March 10, 2009 [ sunstar.com.ph ]
By Merlinda A. Pedrosa
THE Bacolod City Council is planning to create a task force to monitor the influx of squatters.
City Councilor Dindo Ramos said he would file a proposal for the creation of a task force that would be composed of barangay officials to monitor the entry of squatters to their respective areas.
He said the "squatter problem in the city is already very alarming," adding that thousands of squatters were already ejected from their homes and several others have also been scheduled for demolition.
Ramos said the city plans to not only provide a relocation site for the squatters but also to prevent the influx of more informal settlers, "which is a problem of every city, especially a developing one like Bacolod where the properties occupied by the informal settlers are withdrawn by the landowners for commercial purposes."
He also welcomed the idea of a tenement housing project but said he cannot say if this would be cheaper compared to just providing the relocation site. Under the tenement housing scheme, the city would provide not only the lot but also the structure.
Ramos said City Mayor Evelio Leonardia already applied for a P250-million loan for the proposed purchase of a relocation site.
He said the City Council is always supportive of Leonardia’s move to acquire another relocation site considering that the existing site is no longer enough to accommodate the growing population of evictees.
Ramos said eight landowners initially offered their lots for sale. After the evaluation of the City Council, it recommended a possible site to Leonardia, which could be bought way below the appraised value.
The recommended location was near the existing site in Abada Escay and that the city is planning to purchase the property with a land area of at least 30-60 hectares, good for three years.
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