BACOLOD City – A total of 35 informal settler families (ISFs) received homelots from the city government after their structures were demolished due to a redevelopment project by a private firm in the Reclamation Area, Barangay 12, where the well-known Manokan Country is also located.
Over a hundred structures were affected by the demolition, but according to the records of the Bacolod Housing Authority (BHA), only 64 ISFs were eligible for relocation.
The structures in the area were removed after SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SPHI), the lessee of the city’s 16,875-square-meter property across from SM City, began fencing the leased property to initiate the redevelopment project in the area.
Ma. Cristina Samonte, Housing and Homesite Regulations Officer V of the BHA, said that as of now, only 35 families have received the homelots following the city’s award of property at the Arao Relocation Site in Barangay Vista Alegre.
The BHA conducted the first batch of awarding on April 4 for 19 recipients, while the second batch for 16 recipients was held on April 12.
Samonte said there are three pending applicants still waiting to be awarded as of this writing.
The BHA is waiting for the remaining applicants from the 65 qualified ISFs to submit their required documents so that the city can proceed with another batch of awards until all 65 have fully received their new homelots, she added.
Securing all the required documents as stipulated by the BHA is challenging because documents must be processed in several offices. Samonte said applicants must travel to Bago City to obtain a certification from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
For the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), applicants need to arrive very early at the agency’s office to receive a priority number, as only 30 individuals are allowed to process their documents per day.
Additionally, processing times at the Pag-IBIG (Home Development Mutual Fund) office and even at the National Housing Authority can be lengthy, she added.
Due to these, some applicants have not had enough time to complete their paperwork, which is why they have yet to submit their requirements, Samonte claimed.
The private firm has been leasing the city’s property for a 40-year term following the contract signing in October 2023./PN
