LRTA to relocate squatters affected by south extension

Light Rail Transit Authority Administrator Teddy Cruz Jr. said yesterday the relocation of informal settler-families to be directly affected by the construction of the LRT south extension project will be given priority by the government.

"The relocation of squatter families affected by the LRT south extension project is part of the pro-poor program of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and complements government efforts to improve the quality of life of the urban poor," Cruz said.

He said the resettlement of families in Parañaque, Las Piñas and Bacoor, Cavite City — the places where the rail system will pass through — has been addressed during the simultaneous public hearings held last year between the LRTA and SNC-Lavalin, a Canadian-based rail system developer, and affected residents.

Under Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act, the LRTA and its joint venture partner, SNC-Lavalin, are obliged to provide new location sites for informal settlers directly affected by the construction of the rail system from Baclaran to Bacoor.

Cruz said as part of the government’s Social Development Program, the relocation plan will prepare and train these families for the eventual sustenance and maintenance of their relocation program.

He said the LRTA and an interagency committee composed of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, National Housing Authority, Philippine Commission on Urban Poor, Metro Manila Development Authority, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of the Interior and Local Government and local government units are preparing the resettlement packages for the affected families.

The affected families will be given two options. The first option is financial assistance to be determined by the interagency committee.

The second option consists of affordable house and lot package and a lot package. The affected families will be asked to choose between the two packages. The possible resettlement sites are in Cavite, Laguna or Batangas.

Danilo Tolentino, LRT Line 1 south extension project manager, said the resettled families would be given access to skills training programs and livelihood opportunities.

Tolentino said the affected families would be given priority in the hiring of personnel and construction workers. "One of our priorities is to hire people from the affected areas to help them earn a living. It’s a mutual benefit," he said.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez had earlier directed the fasttracking of the project to immediately benefit residents in these places. Alvarez said besides easing the heavy traffic along the route, the rail system is expected to improve mobility by reducing travel time and cost of commuting.

The 12-kilometer rail system, which will start from the LRT Baclaran station, will have 10 stations. The project is expected to be partially completed and operational in 2004 and can accommodate more than 800,000 passengers per day.