CEBU, Philippines - After more than 30 years of living in the relocation site provided by the Cebu City government, all beneficiaries of the socialized housing program currently living in Barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion have no land titles yet.
The city’s Department for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) chief Collin Rossell said that this is because the 13-hectare relocation site was unregistered property when it was bought by the city government in 1980 from the ZITIOBA Inc.
To determine the boundary of the land, Rossell said that the city government has already conducted the survey in the relocation area in pre-paration for the titling of the land to original beneficiaries.
He said that at least 550 original beneficiaries will be awarded with their land titles pending the approval of the subdivision plan of the relocation site to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Land Management Bureau.
However, the Municipality of Consolacion revealed that based on the latest count, there are already 2, 320 households living in the relocation site in Barangay Pulpogan.
To address this, Rossell said that the city government will be awarding the residential free patent titles to the identified beneficiaries of the socialized housing program of the city government.
“Kun wala na ang original beneficiaries, mo-undergo ta og screening sa katong dili original beneficiaries,” he said.
With this, he said that the Local Housing Board recommends donating the relocation site to the Municipality of Consolacion. The municipality has expressed intent to acquire the lot that the city government owns so that the municipal government will have the power to resolve the alleged proliferation of new settlers in the site.
“Regardless pa sa titling process, the donation can happen now para daghan makatabang kay kun naay magkulang didto, mas maayo nga daghan makatabang,” he said, adding that it is in a way giving respect to Consolacion where the relocation site is located.
Rossell said that the donation would lead to a better coordination with the muni-cipality and the Cebu City government in the titling process which would take about a year. (FREEMAN)