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[av_heading heading=’3 city housing beneficiaries linked to Jed’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Friday, March 3, 2017
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ILOILO City – Among the city government’s housing program beneficiaries being investigated for possible violations are three persons with alleged ties to Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog – a cook, a nanny and a former bodyguard.
The Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO) is conducting the probe. Its head Jeck Conlu said his office received reports that the three were not displaced by demolitions.
In awarding relocation lots, ICUPAO is prioritizing those living in danger zones such as rivers and creeks and those displaced by demolitions due to government projects such as road widening.
According to Conlu, Gloria Puyat, Rouena Ocas and Brayan Ocas were from Barangay San Pedro, Molo district and were given lots at the Iloilo River Plains Subdivision – the city’s relocation site – in Barangay Lanit, Jaro district.
“Kon may violation gid man in the awarding of lots, indi sila exempted,” said Conlu.
ICUPAO, the city government agency tasked to implement housing, relocation/resettlement programs, may remove them from the relocation site.
“Base sa ila registration, they were qualified. Nag-apply sila kag nag-agi sa process,” said Conlu.
The three were reportedly displaced during the rehabilitation of the Iloilo River.
But that was all Conlu could say for now. He said the team created to conduct the investigation included City Administrator Hernando Galvez.
The city government has 7,864 housing program awardees, ICUPAO records showed.
Conlu said the probe started checking those relocated in Barangay Lanit, Uswag Subdivision in Barangay San Isidro also in Jaro, and the relocation site in Barangay So-oc, Arevalo district.
Last year, 29 housing units were taken back by ICUPAO from beneficiaries due to violations, said Conlu.
The employees of the ICUPAO will also be investigated. Conlu said some beneficiaries would seek out maninoys (backers) from within ICUPAO so they could be “prioritized” in the awarding of housing units.
WHO ARE QUALIFIED?
Section 16 (Eligibility Criteria) of Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 sets the qualifications of beneficiaries of government housing programs. These are the following:
* must be a Filipino citizen
* must be underprivileged and homeless
* must not own real property in the urban or rural areas, and
* must not be a professional squatter or member of squatting syndicates.
On the other hand, under Iloilo City Regulation Ordinance 95-055 (an ordinance creating the ICUPAO), the following legitimate urban poor are given priority:
* those who have cases in court that have become final and executory
* those who have cases in court that are still pending for hearing or disposition
* those who have received a final letter of demand to vacate from private landowners
* those who are occupying lands owned by the City of Iloilo or national government or any of its instrumentalities, and
* those qualified and legitimate urban poor who want to avail themselves of the program.
“Housing programs are not exclusive only to those affected by government projects or those evicted from private properties but to legitimate urban poor who want to avail themselves of the program,” stressed Conlu.
PROFESSIONAL SQUATTERS
Conlu did not discount the possibility that professional squatters may have been inadvertently given relocation lots.
“May ginatan-aw kami…may ara kuno nga naga-broker convincing the beneficiaries to sell their houses,” Conlu also said.
Beneficiaries selling their relocation lots will be held criminally liable, he said.
Conlu temporarily suspended the awarding of relocation lots to informal settlers while the investigation is ongoing.
There will be a digital mapping of informal settlers and those displaced by government projects such as road widening and river/creek clearing, said Conlu.
The computerization of ICUPAO’s database will eliminate discrepancies in the identification of beneficiaries and awarding of housing units, he stressed./PN
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