P5M additional budget for urban poor office

CEBU, Philippines - President Benigno Simeon Aquino III has assured at least P5 million as additional budget for the Cebu City office of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP).

Part of the P5 million budget will be for the hiring of 14 former workers of the Division for the Welfare of Urban Poor whose contracts were not renewed by Mayor Michael Rama.

Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña said the 14 terminated workers, whose contracts ended last June 30, would be hired by the PCUP once they meet the requirements.

With the P5 million additional budget, the PCUP’s office in the city can hire 25 more employees.

But PCUP chairman Hernani Panganiban did not assure that the 14 former workers can all be accommodated, saying that they can only be hired if they are qualified for the job.

Osmeña said he was worried after Rama did not renew the contracts of those casual workers as it would affect hundreds of urban poor families that they handled.

Those who will be hired by the PCUP will be tasked to work for the implementation of the Free Patent Act.

Under the act, those who occupied government lands for more than 10 years will be allowed to own the lots for only P250.

Osmeña said the PCUP workers would be tasked to process documents of the urban poor families now occupying the lots owned by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas near Marco Polo Plaza Hotel.

The former mayor said while bank officials already agreed to sell the lots, the price is still under negotiation.

Through the recommendation of DWUP head Collin Rosell, Rama chose not to renew the contracts of the 14 workers.

The mayor said he only approved the recommendation of Rosell, whom he ordered to initiate a revamp of workers assigned to his office. —(FREEMAN)