Socialized housing: Quisumbing sets deadline to identify beneficiaries

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luigi Quisumbing has given the city's Beneficiary Selection Committee (BENSELCOM) until October to finish identifying potential beneficiaries of the 9.2-hectare site project from the two barangays that agreed to the city's clearing and reblocking operations.

Lawyer James Allan Sayson of the city legal office said they already requested BENSELCOM to give them the master list on the 873 potential beneficiaries. Sayson said the mayor gave them a timeline, which includes a deadline before October.

Last March, at least 500 structures were razed in a fire that hit three sitios in barangays Mantuyong and Guizo. After the fire, the city started the reblocking of the fire-stricken site by filling the area with limestone in preparation for its leveling.

Members of the Federation of Mandaue City Urban Poor Inc. (FEDMACUPI) opposed the re-blocking as they insisted that the city government has no right to reblock the area since it was already donated to them by the city during the time of then mayor Thaddeo Ouano.

But the city government insisted that the reblocking aims to provide accessible roads for firetrucks and other rescue vehicles during disasters like fire. This prompted the federation to ask the court for a TRO.

The court ordered the federation not to oppose any re-blocking projects of the city government, especially those covered by the deed of donations. However, the court stated that those who are not affected by the reblocking, for the meantime, can stay and build temporary structures which shall be demolished, without any demand, if these are already part of the reblocking.

The city government was also ordered by the court to finish the reblocking of the area within four months to pave the way for the federation to complete its partition of the property. The four months will end this October.

Sayson said BENSELCOM has so far validated 177 Mantuyong beneficiaries and 138 from Guizo.

The socialized housing project of Mandaue will be in the 9.2-hectare lot donated by the city to the beneficiaries. These lots are in barangays Subangdaku, Tipolo, Guizo and Mantuyong. (FREEMAN)