Livability of vacant lots being checked

CEBU, Philippines - The Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor is conducting a detailed inventory of all vacant lots in the relocation sites in Cebu City to determine which areas are livable.

The inventory will be undertaken within two weeks, as required by the local housing board. The city is pressed to maximize its resources to accommodate the growing number of landless residents here.

The city wants to develop relocation sites for the thousands whose houses are built along danger areas like rivers and creeks. Relocation sites will be provided for qualified beneficiaries.

The effort is also part of the observance of the Urban Development Housing Act Month, which will start today until March 28.

DWUP Chief Danilo Gabiana said that there are about 827 vacant lots in city’s relocation sites at present. He said a lot has been vacated for several reasons – the area is not livable owing to absence of proper development and/or the beneficiary to whom the lot was awarded refused to occupy it.

The local housing board admits that some relocation sites are not livable because the area does not have proper supply of water or electricity and does not have proper roads.

The board said it was during the time of former mayor Alvin Garcia when the city engaged in the so-called “land banking” wherein it bought several lots supposedly for relocation sites. Those lots that were deemed non-livable have been idle for years.

The board said that at that time, there were no proper guidelines on the acquisition of lots for relocation sites. The lots were found to be unlivable only after the post inspection after they were bought.

The board wants to know the situation of the unlivable areas to assess if developing it would be less expensive compared to buying a new lot.

Gabiana said that based on estimate, only 30 percent of the city’s relocation sites are not livable. The 827 vacant lots is equivalent to 4.4 hectares of lots that are idle. The city has over 700,000 square meters of relocation sites scattered in different barangays and is valued at over half a billion.

Gabiana said that most of the unlivable relocation sites are in the mountain barangays, however, the city is a hard time finding a relocation site in the urban areas because it can only buy at a maximum of P2,500 per square meter.

The housing project in Barangay Lorega where a medium-rise building is to be constructed is a test of sorts for the city to determine of medium-rise housing is more feasible. (FREEMAN)