Monday, October 19, 2009 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES [ BusinessWorld Online ]
METRO MANILA would need billions of pesos for the next 10 years to relocate squatters in government priority infrastructure projects and in danger areas, an agency handling the problem said.
Created by Executive Order (EO) 803 issued last May to set up shelter programs to relocate squatters, the Metro Manila Inter-Agency Committee on Informal Settlers (MMIAC) said it needs P3.225 billion per year to relocate the squatters in 10 years pursuant to an order by the Supreme Court to clean up the bay area.
MMIAC said it has estimated an additional requirement of 14,922 over the current supply of 7,767 units.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) heads the MMIAC to ensure smooth clearing operations across Metro Manila and provide shelter assistance to qualified informal settlers.
The data was culled from a manifestation filed with the Supreme Court, which ordered the MMDA in December last year to submit progress reports on the cleanup of Manila Bay. It said that based on a 2007 survey, squatter households totaled 544,609, or about 21% of all households in Metro Manila. — IPP
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