BY MARY JOY CAVAÑAS
ILOILO City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has confirmed the appointment of Atty. Peter Jason Millare as the head of the Iloilo City Local Housing Office (ICLHO) on Thursday, Dec. 7.
Millare was appointed to lead the city housing office by Mayor Jerry Treñas.
Prior to his confirmation, Millare had already begun addressing the issue on the city’s informal settlers.
Back in October, the ICLHO head said they would conduct a house-to-house survey to determine the actual data of informal settlers to be declared by the SP or the local government unit (LGU) as the official baseline data.
“It will pave the way for the future policy that if you are a new structure, which you are not on the map, you were not tagged, you will be declared as a new structure, and with that, the LGU can abate you without needing for relocation,” Millare said.
However, Millare said yesterday that before conducting the survey, they need to have enough manpower and personnel should undergo seminars and trainings as there are protocols to follow.
The ICLHO is eyeing to start the survey in February or March next year to ensure that their technical team is ready along with the taggers. Millare said they have to geotag the areas or structures in a community so that no one will be infiltrated.
“This is in preparation to our policy na later on kapag new structure ka or wala ka sa amon geotag or wala ka na-survey, ma-consider ka as new structure, pwede ka namon ma-abate without needing the relocation site anymore,” Millare added.
The ICLHO also plans to relocate the people residing in danger zones such as in creeks and riverbanks.
Currently, the ICLHO has no exact data on the backlogs, only a projection.
The Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs recorded 12,300 informal settlers as of September 2022 and this is projected to balloon to 15,000 in 2028, taking into account a 4 percent increase per year.
Millare said the multisectoral Iloilo City Local Housing Board (ICLHB) will serve as the policy-making body of the LGU on anything having to do with shelter programs, and his office will serve as the implementing arm./PN
