Binay, Win Gatchalian open "Disiplina Village"

MANILA — Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday led the inauguration of the recently completed twelve 16-unit housing buildings at Disiplina Village, a housing project of Valenzuela City for the victims of typhoon Ondoy.

Binay, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), lauded the uniqueness of Valenzuela City’s housing project as its construction development has been conducted through the joint efforts of the City Government under Mayor Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian and the private sector like the San Miguel Brewery, Inc.

The housing buildings in the village now totals to 15, with 41 more currently erected to accommodate 900 family relocatees. At least 192 second batch of beneficiary families were awarded with Certificates of Occupancy, bringing the total residents in the village to 238 families now.

Likewise, Binay, Gatchalian and representatives of private sector partners led the groundbreaking of the Disiplina Village Phase II, which will accommodate the remaining 960 families out of 1,860 Ondoy victims in  the city.

Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian said the Phase II of the project was made possible through the partnership with the National Housing Authority (NHA) under Pres. Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s “P10-billion fund to relocate informal settler families residing along danger areas in Metro Manila.”

Binay cited Mayor Win Gatchalian’s concept of Disiplina Village, the first initiative in the country to address the devastating impact of typhoon Ondoy.

Gatchalian is also the first local chief executive to fight for “in-city relocation” of families displaced by the Northrail project.

Gatchalian said he recognized the impact of displacement only to be worsened by off-city relocation projects.

He said off-city relocation disrupts the living condition of beneficiaries rather than improve them.

Informal settlers are being uprooted with scarce options to livelihood, with other problems commonly being encountered, such as water, sanitation, healthcare and education facilities and these experiences force them to return to or near their previous area of residence and become informal settlers again, Gatchalian said. (FREEMAN)