PIA Press Release Thursday, January 12, 2012 City has relocation sites for displaced settlersDAVAO CITY, Jan. 12 (PIA) -- The city government of Davao has a sizable number of relocation sites intended for the resettlement of informal settlers living in danger zones and qualified informal settlers, whose houses are set for demolition by the property owners.According to Roy Ryan Rigor of the Housing and Homesite Development Office, the city has about eight relocation sites situated in the city’s second and third districts where settlers will be given a chance to resettle. The biggest relocation area is in Los Amigos in Calinan with an area of 22 hectares. The current developed area is about 13 hectares which has about 700 lots about 400 lots are now being occupied. According to Rigor, these resettlement sites has roads, drainage, utility connections and community facilities like multi-purpose halls, day care centers, parks, playgrounds and basketball courts. Rigor said that if the 700 lots would be filled up, then they would start developing the other portion of the Los Amigos resettlement area. The Los Amigos relocation area will be the resettlement area of informal settlers hit by the Matina Pangi flashflood tragedy which claimed the lives of more than 30 people last June 28. Vice-President Jejomar Binay through the National Housing Authority has inked a Memorandum of Agreement for the construction of 200 houses intended for the relocation of the Matina Pangi resettlers. Rigor said that the program will be a by-phased development. The initial batch would be 50 houses and the city government is just waiting for the release of P5-million to jumpstart the project. Other relocation areas include Tigatto, Mintal, Marapangi, Panacan, Tibungco, Lasang and Bunawan. Rigor said that the size of these areas ranges from 3 hectares to about 20 hectares. The city government is regularly updating the inventory of the lots says Rigor as some of the resettlers have left the sites. For abandoned lots, the city would initiate due process mechanisms before they can take the lot back from the beneficiaries who abandoned the sites. (PIA/RG Alama) |