Marikina residents told: Build homes on stilts

MANILA, Philippines - To mitigate the impact of perennial floods when the Marikina River overflows, those living near the river and low-lying areas should build houses on stilts, Mayor Del de Guzman said yesterday.

“If you plan to build a house, make it stilt-type,” he said.

De Guzman’s plea was bolstered by Ordinance 48, series of 2014, mandating all residential structures in low-lying areas are to be built or reconstructed to have stilts.

“We must learn to adapt with our changing environment,” he said.

Since the implementation of the said ordinance, the Marikina Settlements Office (MSO) had listed at least 412 stilt-type houses constructed along the low-lying areas of Barangays Nangka, Malanday, Fortune and Industrial Valley.

To encourage residents to build stilt-type houses, the MSO offered a government-subsidized blueprint of stilt-type houses that are 24 square meters in size.

Raymond Aquino, MSO draftsman, said this type of blueprint costs around P15,000 to P20,000 when done by private architects.

The ground level of the stilt-type house could be used as garage or working area, he added.

Violators of the ordinance face a P5,000 fine.