ANGONO, Rizal – The local government is close to becoming squatter-free, according to a report of the local urban development and settlement office.
In a 12-page report, figures showed that the local government’s human settlement program – “Zero-Squatter,” has effectively reduced the number of informal settlers in the lakeshore municipality known as the Art Capital of the Philippines.
The same report pegged a whopping 79.88% completion of the process that saw 9,272 families living in places they could call their own via LGU-brokered direct buying scheme, Community Mortgage Program (CMP), National Housing Authority (NHA) and the LGU initiative on auctioned and levied properties.
Under the LGU-brokered buying scheme, the private owners agreed to monetize their property being occupied by some 4,174 informal settlers, over the prospect of filing a civil case which “may take the court many years to resolve.”
The CMP facilitated the incursion of 959 families, while NHA absorbed 78 beneficiaries. The biggest chunk of beneficiaries of the local government’s “Zero-Squatter” program was facilitated under auctioned and levied properties which hosted 5,129 families. The LGU is still in the process of negotiating some 2,332 more relocation sites.
“What makes our zero squatter programs is that we don’t just dump people to far places. All these initiatives are in-city relocation. Taking them far from where they work or earn a living is like displacing them,” says Angono municipal administrator Alan Bitong Maniaol in his capacity as officer-in-charge of the local urban development and settlement office. Relatedly, Maniaol admitted the presence of professional squatting syndicates in their locality, but hinted on a mechanism in place that has effectively been thwarting attempts to establish squatter colonies in their town.
“Yes, I must admit meron talagang mga nagtatangkang magpasok ng mga squatter dito sa amin. Buti na lang we already have a mechanism in place that kept them at bay,” added Maniaol in reference to the vigilance of their residents whom he said have been promptly feeding them information
