Bldg for poor families to rise in Baragay Lorega

CEBU, Philippines —  At least 200 families from the urban poor sector can be accommodated in the five-story medium-rise building that the Cebu City government is set to construct in Barangay Lorega-San Miguel.

Atty. Jose Daluz III, special assistant to the mayor, said the executive department proposed P268 million under the P2.5-billion Supplemental Budget 2 this year.

“We are proposing a medium-rise building, a five-story building that we will establish in the city. Two clusters of building that will house 200 families. It only needs two hectares of lot,” he said.

Instead of giving lots to the urban poor, Daluz said the current administration wants to maximize property space.

If the city will give the two-hectare property, he said it will only accommodate at least ten families, but a medium-rise building will accommodate 200 families.

As of now, Daluz said the city has no data as to how many families have no houses.

As for the five-story building, he said it will have a parking space, multi-purpose function room, training area, daycare school, administrative area, material recovery facility, and septage treatment plant, among others.

It will be a self-sustaining community as the building will have a solar-ready roof deck. Daluz said the medium-rise building can be disassembled, transferred, and reassembled in other areas.

He said the city will let the 200 families pay a subsidized rent to the city government every month for five years.

“I believe that housing is the engine of change in the city, like in Singapore,” he said, adding that the project is part of the “Gift of Hope” project of Mayor Edgardo Labella.

Among the families that will be accommodated are those who are living in the danger zone areas, or the urban poor sector, Daluz said.

He said the city can construct two buildings in the two- to three-hectare property in Barangay Lorega-San Miguel, adding that it will just prioritize constructing one building for now.

Daluz said the medium-rise building will provide “dignified living” for the urban poor.

“This will not be sold to the urban poor. It will be a subsidized rent,” he said, adding that it would improve the lives of the sector.

Those who are qualified to live in the medium-rise building should improve their lives within five years, he said.

It’s like an incubator house where the urban poor will be taught how to improve their lives before their contracts will end, Daluz said.

“Ang atong mga pobre really need discipline. So na-train na siya kay continuous ang training for five years. Hopefully after that, ma-improve na ilang lives and they can afford better condo for their housing kay employed na and disciplined na,” he added.

Daluz said there are also private companies that intend to help the city government in this project, saying that the city can have at least P140 million from these companies. — BRP (FREEMAN)