PCUP head lauds Bacolod, mayor
PRESIDENTIAL Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) chairperson and chief-executive-officer Undersecretary Elpidio Jordan Jr. lauded the city of Bacolod and its mayor Alfredo Abelardo ‘Albee’ Benitez for joining with the PCUP in celebrating this year’s Urban Poor Solidairty Week which was held mainly and hosted by Mandaluyong City.
In celebrating the UPSW, Mayor Benitez signed a covenant with urban poor organizations (UPOs) to strengthen their partnership in addressing poverty in line with President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Romualdez Marcos Jr. ‘s advocacy of uplifting the lives of every Filipino family.
According to the mayor, the urban poor covenant emphasizes the commitment to work together and transform the vulnerable condition of Bacolod’s 50,000 informal settler families (ISFs) living along the city’s coastal, public and private lands.
Benitez disclosed that peoples’ planning would be the major approach in building Yuhom villages even as the JHF Foundation will provide community organizing and capacity building support to Bacolod City’s urban poor communities.
With city officials and legislators, urban poor federations and PCUP representatives led by FOD Visayas Assistant Head Neil Victor Saril participating in the event, Benitez stressed that all stakeholders are one in the city’s commitment of finally addressing the serious lack of access to decent housing of Bacolod’s ISFs.
“We resolve to work together towards the following:
1.Transformation of informal settler communities to resilient, empowered and sustainable communities by creating a city-wide, in-city plan to address the security of land tenure, housing and site development for at least 50,000 ISFs.
2. Ensuring that the process will be People-led. The families and communities, with the support of the city, will develop their Peoples’ Plans, identifying various options based on affordability, capacity to pay, existing livelihoods, availability of land and financing.
3. No Demolition will be carried out that will result to homelessness. Relocation and assistance will be provided in all administrative and court-ordered cases. People’s planning will also be carried out with ISFs in private land.
4. Establishment of Fisher Folks Settlements, a model where fisher folks will not be displaced from the coast where they derive their livelihoods.
5. Prioritizing the achievement of decent housing with social services and site development in relocation and social housing sites,” Bacolod’s chief executive spelled out.
