ILOILO City – From the ashes of nearly 300 houses of informal settlers razed by fire in barangays West Habog-Habog and San Juan in Molo district could sprout a medium-rise building that would house over 1,000 displaced fire victims.
According to Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, the city government plans to purchase the 1.6-hectare fire-hit private property and partner with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to build a tenement there.
“Para maplastar ang pagbalik sang mga pumuluyo da. Timely man kay may program ang national government to build one million houses (each year). Pwede kita mag-partner sa national government,” said Treñas.
He was referring to DHSUD’s Pambansang Pabahay Para Sa Pilipino: Zero ISF Program for 2028.
The city government is doing land banking in preparation for more housing projects for the city’s informal settlers.
According to Treñas, they are finalizing a P200-million loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines for housing program-related land acquisitions.
One property being eyed is in Barangay Tacas, Jaro district. This is one of the options also for the Molo fire victims, said the mayor.
The Jan. 28 predawn fire’s damage reached P4.748 million, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection.
Treñas said he received initial information that the lot owner – the Layson family – is willing to sell their property.
Displaced fire victim Donna Arenaza welcomed Treñas’ plan. She said it would ensure her family – currently taking shelter at Baluarte Elementary School in Molo – a legitimate house.
The 38-yer-old mother told Panay News on Sunday, Jan. 29, she was unsure if all of them informal settlers occupying the fire-razed neighborhood would be allowed to return.
“Kon pasugtan kami makabalik, salamat gid. Pero kon indi, wala kami kabalo kon diin kami mangita ilistaran,” said Arenaza, a daycare center teacher.
Treñas said the affected families will be receiving financial assistance both from the national and city governments – a maximum of P10,000 for those with totally damaged houses and P7,000 for the partially damaged.
“We are ready. Cong. Jam-jam (Julienne Baronda) is coordinating with Sen. Bong Go for the financial assistance through the Department of Social Welfare and Development,” he said.
Arenaza also said they were willing to be relocated if the city government would provide them a relocation site.
“Ti, wala man kami choice – either mapuli kami sa tagsa-tagsa namon ka mga probinsya or ma-stay kami di,” she said.
Meanwhile, Treñas stressed the need for wider roads in the area, noting that responding firefighters of the BFP found it difficult to penetrate the fire-hit area on Saturday.
“I think now is really the time para makay-o ta ‘ni. Kon indi ta ‘ni makay-o, pagbalalik nila amo man gihapon ang problema naton,” said the city mayor./PN
