By Neil A Alcober/Manila Times
Vice President and housing czar Jejomar Binay blamed the proliferation of illegal settlements on the gross inaction by local government officials.
“Inaction is an offense,” Binay, who served as mayor of Makati City for 24 years, said.
Binay, who is also the concurrent chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, warned local chief executives who allow the number of illegal settlers to balloon could be slapped with administrative sanctions.
He, however, admitted that the country’s policy on putting an end to illegal settlements had been inconsistent.
“From 1986 up to the ’90s, it changed several times. Squatters were given extension and assurances that they will not be removed, and then there was an election. These were the reasons why their removal was postponed,” he said.
Binay stressed that the government should be firm in its policy on how to address the issue.
He also appealed to barangay (village) officials not to use the elections in October to tolerate illegal settlements.
According to Binay, as of 2011, Metro Manila had 104,219 informal settler families living in dangerous areas, primarily waterways.
President Benigno Aquino earlier approved a P50bn budget for the housing programme for informal settlers.
The programme, which is intended to be completed by 2016, provides in-city, near-city and off-city resettlement areas for squatters.
Presently, the National Housing Authority has 10 multi-level low-rise housing projects in various stages of development and construction that will generate some 6, 426 housing units for Metro Manila’s informal settlers, Binay said.