The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) has intensified its campaign against professional squatters and squatting syndicates.
The information drive is pursuant to the directive of Vice President and HUDCC Chairman Noli de Castro to eradicate squatting syndicates preying on innocent people eager to have their own dwelling.
“These squatting syndicates should be stopped and punished. They not only shatter the hopes and dreams of ordinary people to legally acquire their own shelters, their activities also hinder infrastructure development,” De Castro said.
The National Drive Against Professional Squatters and Squatting Syndicates (NDAPPS) joined the HUDCC in the seminars the council conducted in the provinces, starting off with Regions 11 and 7.
The HUDCC, together with the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), conducted seminars in Davao and Cebu City.
Local executives, police investigators, members of local committees against professional squatters and squatting syndicates, and barangay officials attended the seminar, which oriented them on the modus operandi of professional squatters and squatting syndicates and the pertinent laws.
The campaign against squatters is a continuing endeavor of the HUDCC in cooperation with other government agencies since 2005.
The seminars were first conducted in Metro Manila. – Pia Lee-Brago