Throwing more money to solve a no-win problem

Time and again we have seen national and local government authorities undertake massive scale housing projects for the poor and low-income families. But government resources could only afford so much to build these socialized housing projects, especially those put up in Metro Manila as the prime destination of urban migration.

Through these years, from one administration to another, the national government led in undertaking state-funded housing projects all over the country. Initially, these socialized housing projects were intended for low-income families who could afford to amortize these at subsidized costs. However, the need for affordable housing could not meet the growing population made worse by urban migration.

The housing shortage gave rise to a phenomenon called “squatters” – or the more politically correct term, “informal settlers” – who have taken over private lots left in the open as well as idle government lands. Now the government must also take into account these families who have illegally put up makeshift houses or shanties among the priority beneficiaries of such state-funded housing projects in resettlement sites.

Not even Marcos’ martial law rule in our country deterred squatters from putting up their shanties. During those days when I was still in college and used to ride commuter trains from Sampaloc to Sta. Mesa in Manila, squatters lined up both sides of the entire rail tracks. The late comedian Dolphy even came out with a weekly TV sit-com, “Home along Da Riles,” inspired by that squatter situation in Metro Manila.

Former First Lady Imelda Marcos, who was then the Metro Manila governor, came up with the Bliss housing project that replaced the unsightly shanties from the rail tracks with concrete two- to three-story housing units in selected areas. But that still did not solve the problem.

During his term as San Juan mayor, former President Joseph Estrada became the first local government official who was able to relocate over 1,800 squatter families to a resettlement site in Taytay, Rizal in 1979. Up to now, these families continue to live in this community built by the then municipal government of San Juan under Estrada’s helm for 16 years. When he became president, Estrada put up the Erap City in E. Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal. Several decades later, San Juan – now elevated to cityhood – is again facing the same squatters’ problem.

Then Makati City mayor Jejomar Binay implemented his own resettlement project apparently inspired by Estrada’s success in relocating squatters in San Juan. At present, there are two relocation sites owned and managed by the city: the Makati Home Ville in Barangay Dayap, Calauan, Laguna, and the GK Dreamland Ville in Barangay Kaypian in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.

The Makati Home Ville stands on a 40-hectare property bought by the city government in 2007. The total area allotted for residential structures is 263,305.90 square meters, estimated to accommodate up to 6,140 families. The beneficiaries included families that used to live in danger zones or public domain in Barangays Rizal, West Rembo, East Rembo, Poblacion, Guadalupe Viejo, Guadalupe Nuevo, Pio del Pilar, Valenzuela, Bangkal, Palanan, and San Isidro. As of end-December 2010, informal settlers occupying government properties in Makati were estimated to number at least 3,189, while 1,718 others occupied privately owned lots.

When the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took over after Estrada’s ouster during EDSA-2 in 2001, the national government implemented the North Rail project that was long stalled by the problem of squatters occupying the rail tracks. Then Vice President Noli de Castro managed to move out these dwellers from the rail tracks and relocated them in government resettlement sites in Bulacan and E. Rodriguez, Rizal.

Despite all these past efforts, the squatting problem is like a zombie that keeps coming back to life, threatening to unleash more harm to the generally law-abiding population. While squatters have been totally taken out from the rail tracks, esteros and other major floodways in Metro Manila have become the next sites for squatter colonies.

The most deleterious effect the estero dwellers pose was the severe flooding from the thunderstorms that struck Metro Manila last week. This prompted no less than President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III to take a direct hand in the situation that seemed to be already getting out of control.

The Palace announced a relocation program to be undertaken by the government to move out 19,440 families living along the San Juan River, Tullahan River, Manggahan floodway, Maricaban creek, Pasig River, and Esteros Tripa de Gallina, Sunog Apog, and Maypajo.

In a press conference called at the Palace last week, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson candidly admitted that the government postponed the relocation of squatters to after the May 13 elections. Without naming names, Singson obliged to the request of certain politicians coddling squatters for their votes.

The problem becomes more complicated with reported syndicates of “professional squatters.” They are called “professional squatters” because they had been awarded low-cost housing units in resettlement sites but had sold their rights to others. Then they went back to squatting and built their shanties in vacant spaces they could find. These criminals prey on the poor who at least deserve to be helped by the government but are eased out by these “professional squatters.”

This is the danger of the latest bright idea of giving P18,000 as “rental subsidy” to convince informal settlers to move out of their shanties that add to the clogging of esteros and floodways in Metro Manila and elsewhere.

Singson earlier announced the “rental subsidy” would be distributed to families of informal settlers on staggered basis to make sure that they would not return to the danger areas. About 20,000 families are estimated to receive the “rental subsidy.”

Obviously, there is no magic formula to address the unending problem of squatters. Their number has even swelled to massive proportions despite these government housing projects where many of them have been relocated.

Then, why throw more money into such a no-win problem?