1,000 North Triangle folk resettled in Rizal to get jobs

MANILA, Philippines – More than 1,000 jobs were opened to informal settler families in Rodriguez, Rizal through a job fair held recently at the Southville 8C resettlement site by the National Housing Authority (NHA).

Out of 926 registered applicants, 190 immediately qualified.

Others will be trained to match the required skills of private companies that Vice President and housing czar Jejomar Binay and the NHA asked to accept the applicants.

Binay led the fair with NHA general manager Chito Cruz, Rizal second district Rep. Isidro Rodriguez Jr., Rizal Gov. Jun Ynares, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, and Rodriguez Mayor Cecilio Hernandez who provided their support.

The applicants were formerly informal settlers at the North Triangle area in Quezon City.

Depending on their qualifications, they would be trained if needed and employed by the various manpower sourcing companies participating in the fair. The available jobs are located mostly within Metro Manila.

“Today, 1,000 of you will have the opportunity to have jobs. Thousands more will also have jobs at future resettlement projects of the NHA,” Binay said in a speech during the short program to launch the fair.

Binay said he wants to resolve the long-standing squatting issue with the informal settlers, the private sector, individual landowners, and the government all winning.

“Our formula is a win-win situation. Informal settlers will be encouraged to relocate by offering them their own homes not too far from their old location, and for some, jobs. The cleared areas will host new businesses and employ even more people. The government can earn more taxes as the economy grows further and more jobs are created,” he said.

The Vice President said he envisions a Metro Manila, the hotbed of squatting, being reborn with new businesses where slums used to be, and the surrounding environs being reinvigorated with millions of new residents.

In the end, he said the landscape will drastically change.

“Who would not want order and progress? It’s time that we resolve these issues. You are homeowners, and owning a house inspires self-respect and pride. Even your children, the country’s future leaders, will hold their heads high,” he said.