INFORMAL settlers who occupied a low-cost housing area intended for police and military personnel vacated the area on Friday, August 31, without a fuss, a day after they started a camp-out.
Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay)-Negros Occidental secretary-general Ereneo Luminos said the National Housing Authority failed to come up a win-win solution to address their concern after a dialogue was held Friday, August 31.
"Before our meeting, they already have a decision to evict us in the housing project area and give us an ultimatum to vacate the area by 3 p.m.," Luminos said.
The NHA insisted that the informal settlers cannot occupy the housing units that were awarded to the uniformed personnel at Barangay Felisa in Bacolod City.
NHA Architect Susana Nonato, head of the project implementation team of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police (AFP-PNP) housing project, met with Kadamay-Negros, Social Action Center (SAC) head Fr. Chris Gonzales, along with the representatives from AFP, PNP, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Congressman Greg Gasataya, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and other city officials.
The dialogue ended up with Nonato issuing an ultimatum to Kadamay-Negros to vacate the "Cuidad Felisa" by 3 p.m.
The policemen along with the BFP secured the area and at about 4 p.m., the informal settlers agreed to vacate the area after their negotiation with the representatives of NHA.
The group cleaned up the area and vacated it peacefully.
Nonato explained the housing project for the uniformed personnel is still unoccupied because the process to install electric and water connections are still ongoing.
"We are coordinating with the service providers, not NHA," Nonato said.
Ciudad Felisa has a total of 1,498 units. Of the number, 45 percent of the units were awarded to the members of the AFP, another 45 percent to the members of the PNP and the remaining 10 percent were awarded to the members of the BJMP, BFP, and the BuCor.
Nonato said it's a row house, which was constructed in 2012 and completed in 2015, with a floor area of 22 square meters and expandable to 33 square meters, with a monthly amortization of P200 for 25 years.
"They signed an individual loan agreement with the NHA with the commitment that they will pay once they retire. Many had paid in full so legally, when it is awarded to you, allocated to you and later you paid it, the ownership really belongs to the prospective beneficiaries from the AFP, PNP, BJMP, BFP, and BuCor," she said.
Nonato recalled that last year, several members of Kadamay also forcibly occupied idle housing units in Pandi, Bulacan, where President Rodrigo Duterte granted the house to them, but now it will not happen again.
"Pinagbigyan lang sila so if there is a housing need in Bacolod City, we can repackage them for our future projects, but not now because these are all intended for uniformed personnel. They should vacate the area because they cannot occupy the housing units," Nonato said.
She said: "there was an order from President Duterte na pinagbigyan lang sila and it will not happen again. It's an anarchy, if they really want to avail the housing project, they should have an endorsement from the local government unit or the city mayor."
The NHA will hold another dialogue with leaders of Kadamay-Negros and representatives from AFP, PNP, BFP, BJMP and BuCor on September 7.
Kadamay meantime said they already submitted their legal basis for occupying the property citing the Joint Resolution No. 2 signed by President Duterte in May this year.
The resolution authorized NHA to award to other qualified beneficiaries the unoccupied housing units whose ownership and possession are surrendered by their respective awardees and housing units whose respective awards were cancelled by the policemen, army, firemen and jail personnel.
"They (NHA) disregard our legal basis to avail the housing program. They are not sincere for the implementation of this project," Luminos said.
For his part, Leonardia said the City Government has enough relocation site for the informal settlers that were ejected through court order or those who are living in danger zone, then relocated to the Progreso Village in Barangay Vista Alegre.
"It is one of our priority projects to improve the relocation site that is why we are applying for a loan to develop the area. With or without the NHA, we will go on with that, however, if the NHA will offer a housing project in Bacolod, we welcome that. Hopefully, in the end, this will accelerate the negotiation between the city and NHA and they could prove housing projects in Bacolod City," he said.
He added that as of the moment, the City Government is only providing a lot and the beneficiaries should comply with all the requirements with the Bacolod Housing Authority (BHA).