Talisay completes payment for property meant for squatters

CEBU, Philippines - The Talisay City government has shelled out P6.9 million for its urban poor residents in sitio Candaya, barangay Mohon.

Arturo Bas, the city’s spokesperson, said the city through Mayor Socrates Fernandez last Saturday paid P6,842,584 to Metrobank for its 12,862 square-meter property in Candaya, where 194 socialized housing beneficiaries are now occupying.

The move came with the approval of the city council which last year authorized the mayor to purchase the lot for the legitimate members of Candaya Urban poor HOA, Inc. (CUPHAI).

The amount paid comprises 70 percent of the total cost, as early on CUPHAI had paid the first tranche of P2,932,536 or 30 percent of the total payables to Metrobank.

Under the city’s local housing policy, beneficiaries will pay for the lot in easy monthly installments.

“The investment made by the City of Talisay on land purchases for socialized housing will be recovered through the Localized Community Mortgage Program (LCMP),” Bas said.

Bas said this is the 14th socialized housing site purchased by the city government dsigned “to address the problem of the informal settlers on land tenure security.”

As of last year, the city, which has a population of 180,000, has at least 11,000 landless families.

Some of these families either rent or squat on private and public lots. – THE FREEMAN