Informal settlers get certificates of ownership

CEBU, Philippines - After more than a decade of waiting, some 174 informal settlers in Mandaue City who are occupying a city-owned lot finally received the other day their certificates of ownership for lots and houses.

Now that they have their certificates, they can finally work for the individual titling of their lots.

In a ceremony held at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex, which highlighted the culmination program of the 24th Urban Poor Solidarity Week, Mayor Jonas Cortes handed to individual beneficiaries the certificates which bear his signature.

The beneficiaries, who now have houses, include 45 members of Malibu-Matimco Village Homeowners Association, Inc. (MMVHAI) and 129 members of Lower Tipolo Village Homeowners Association, Inc. (LTHAI).

They are part of the 1,642 official beneficiaries of the 9.2 hectare on-site housing project of the city government.

It was learned that the city government decided to donate the lot in 1998 to its actual occupants but only during the time of Mayor Jonas Cortes that the ownership was finally processed.

Since the lot was donated by two organizations, LTHAI and MMVHAI worked for the land filling of their areas and worked for the construction of houses through a soft loan from the Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives, Inc. (PACSI). 

Each house has two floors and a lot area of 32 square meters, valued at P80,000 to P90,000.

These houses are made of bricks or the Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (ICEB) manufactured by the organization.

  Through their monthly savings, the cost is amortized at P640 per month for a maximum period of 25 years. (FREEMAN)