Council to decide on Sitio Alaska families today

CEBU, Philippines – The fate of the more than 1,000 urban poor families who are beneficiaries of the government's Slum Improvement and Resettlement (SIR) program at Sitio Alaska in Barangay Mambaling will be discussed during the regular session of the Cebu City Council this morning.

Until now there are still many of the beneficiaries who still failed to fully pay their obligation to the Cebu City Government despite that their monthly amortization is minimal.

The contracts between the City and the beneficiaries already expired. But because many urban poor families failed to settle their obligation completely, their leaders requested the city officials to give them more time.

There is a proposal to give the concerned families 10 more years to settle their obligations as a way for the City to help the urban poor beneficiaries.

The Cebu City Council has invited Engr. Danilo Gabiana, head of the City Hall's Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP), City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva and City Accountant Arlene Rentuza to appear during the session so they could brief the city legislators about the problem.

Records show that there are about 2,500 families who were recipients of the SIR program implemented by the National government through the city sometime in the 1970s.

The government decided to allow the occupants of the foreshore lands in Barangay Mambaling to own the properties through installment payment, but only few of them paid their amortization.

Most of the beneficiaries have been delinquent in their obligations on the land amortization for the past 25 years. (FREEMAN)