Reshaping relocation via 'kapit-bisig'

MANILA, Philippines - Not all relocation operations end up in bloodshed and tears; some even end up in smiles.

This was recently seen in the resettlement of the first batch of 20 families living beside Estero de Pandacan in Paco, Manila.

Through ABS-CBN Foundation’s Kapit Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP), the families were relocated to Bayanijuan Southville 7, a resettlement site in Calauan, Laguna, co-managed by the National Housing Authority and ABS-CBN Foundation.

“Ang ganda ng bahay namin!(Our house is nice!),” a child was overheard as saying, as he was running from his new home on the way to a nearby playground.

“Actually ito iyong gusto kong surroundings eh (Actually these are the surroundings I like),” said relocated resident Vincent Quilates. “Kasi ayokong kakalakihan ng mga anak ko iyong dating pinanggalingan namin (Because I don’t want my children to grow up in the place where we came from).”

So what made this relocation different? KBPIP officials believe their success stemmed precisely from the “kapit-bisig” with different agencies.

In this relocation operation alone, it involved KBPIP staff doing the census of informal settlers in partnership with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, tagging and mapping of informal structures and organizing and holding dialogues with the community.

There was also the vital help of different agencies such as the Local Interagency Committee for the coordination with different agencies; Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Civil Military Operations J7 for the lending of trucks for transferring the families’ belongings; the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority for the demolition of informal structures and additional trucks; the Department of Social Welfare and Development for grocery packs for the families; the City of Manila for the structural mapping and additional trucks; HM Transport for free bus rides for the families from Manila to Laguna; and the NHA for the processing of the qualified families and the co-management of the relocation site.

“(This relocation is) overwhelming kasi hindi tayo naghirap (because we did not have a hard time),” said Bebot Corpuz, manager of KBPIP’s Relocation Unit.

Residents dismantle their own homes in preparation for their relocation to Bayanijuan Southville 7 in Calauan, Laguna. FAIZZA TANGGOL

“Actually, nag-start lamang tayo noong February to March then imagine mo ngayon, relocation na dito sa Estero de Pandacan. Kasi napaka-supportive ng tao (The people were very supportive),” Corpuz added.

This public-private partnership seems to be working well as the team was able to relocate 1,324 families from different waterways in Metro Manila to Bayanijuan. The people voluntarily agreed to be transferred, looking happy seeing their new homes albeit nervous on starting their new lives in Laguna.

Corpuz said they followed step-by-step procedures in the relocation. Aside from multiple dialogues with the community, there was also “tripping” to the Bayanijuan relocation site so the affected families could see it for themselves.

During the visit to the site, Corpuz said the families were already excited about their transfer, thus there was the momentum for their embracing their new life.

Loida Malit, one of the residents relocated to Calauan, said her husband, children and grandchildren looked forward to having their new home.

Malit also took note of the relocation site’s nice surroundings, saying her grandchildren would grow healthy in such a spacious place.

“Ako laki akong Manila, pero mas gusto ko sa Laguna. Okay na dito (I grew in Manila, but I want it here more in Laguna. This place is alright with me),” she said.

Bayanijuan had a long list of things needed to be done when it went in to co-manage the Calauan relocation site back in 2009. But with the help of donors and partners, ABS-CBN Foundation was able to construct additional housing units, social infrastructure such as livelihood and training centers, a public market, health and recreational facilities, solar street lights, shallow wells, and development of the school and its curriculum. Bayanijuan was also able to provide livelihood and training programs to residents.

“ABS-CBN Foundation’s goal was to relocate a thousand families each year, but because of typhoon ‘Ondoy’ in 2009, the government was forced to relocate close to 4,000 families that were displaced in the City of Pasig,” explained Bayanijuan project director Girlie Aragon. “At present we have more than 5,000 families living at the site.”

With the sudden increase of families, the pressure of providing livelihood and social services became immense and the need to electrify became urgent.

With the Department of Energy providing a P40-million grant, electrification by Meralco started in October 2011. Livelihood enterprises have also started to stir – sewers, bead stringers, cooks, landscapers, construction workers, and maintenance crews were recently organized into the Bayanijuan producers’ association to lead relocatees to productivity. Their products are showcased in the Bayanijuan stall in Rockwell Mall every weekend.

Nine homeowners’ associations have also been formed, the nucleus of future self-governance. They set the rules, maintain peace and order, and undertake projects in the community like the feeding programs, the waste segregation, and the communal gardens.

The newly built Sagip Community Center, the fully functioning UBS Material Recovery Facility and the Sunlife Legacy of Light Village are recent additions which have radically changed the perceptions of Bayanijuan.

To add to the momentum, the Asian Development Bank’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (ADB-JFPR) has approved a $1.5-million grant to improve basic services of Bayanijuan. This will go to the electrification of the site, construction of additional school buildings and covered court, installation of more solar street lights, rehabilitation of roads and drainage, and rehabilitation of the water system. Moreover, it will document the Bayanijuan Southville 7 development as a template for a public-private partnership in a poor community.

“The ADB-JFPR grant will help Bayanijuan further the developments that ABS-CBN Foundation with its private partners started in 2009. Hopefully, the birthing pains are over and the new lift that is already palpable in Bayanijuan will continue,” Aragon said.

“No doubt many challenges remain, but no doubt, too, many lives are getting better. There is a way out of the estero and all that it represents,” Aragon added.

Through its different partnerships with private and public institutions, it looks like ABS-CBN Foundation will go a long way in helping rebuild the lives of former estero dwellers.