Written by Arlie O. Calalo
Tuesday, 03 July 2012 00:00 [ tribune.net.ph ]
Acting Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte
led the turnover of the first batch of housing units at Bistekville II, one of
Mayor Herbert Bautista’s first two socialized in-city housing projects designed
to address the problem of informal settlements in the city.
Some 47 informal settler families
affected by demolition in Barangays Escopa and Obrero constitute the first
batch of awardees to the housing community in Barangay Kaligayahan, Belmonte
told reporters.
The other Bistekville project is built
in Barangay Payatas, the city’s Public Affairs and Information Services Office
said.
Belmonte said the city government came
up with a holistic program to make the Bistekville II housing project a truly
genuine and livable community.
Provision for water and electrical
connections, livelihood projects and scholarship grants for the children of the
city’s housing beneficiaries were made.
The acting mayor was assisted by
secretary to the mayor and QC socialized housing task force head Tadeo Palma
during the awarding ceremony.
Meanwhile, Palma said that expansion
of the city’s pro-poor housing program was in the pipeline. To date,
negotiations are underway for the development of Bistekville III in Barangay
Escopa, Bistekville IV in Barangay Culiat and Bistekville V also in Barangay
Payatas.
“Mayor Bautista indeed wants to
fast-track the development of his socialized-housing projects that will provide
decent resettlement areas for the city’s underprivileged residents,” Palma
said.
Bistekville II offers affordable homes
which could be paid at a monthly amortization of P2,600.
Each dwelling unit has a lot area
measuring 28 square meters, including a loft structure.
Program beneficiaries may avail of the
P400,000 housing loan package offered by Pag-IBIG Fund, which they will pay
over a maximum period of 30 years depending on the age of the borrower.
Palma said the mayor had worked hard
to provide more livable communities for informal settlers living in danger
areas such as sidewalks, roadways, waterways, under transmission lines and on
water pipelines.
Earlier, Vice President Jejomar Binay
lauded the QC government for initiating public-private partnerships for
building pro-poor housing communities in the city.
Ramon Asprer, QC urban poor affairs
office chief, said there were about 10,731 informal settler families living in
identified danger areas in the city.
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