VP NOLI ENDS SEARCH FOR SHELTER OF HOMELESS PALAWAN FAMILIES
October 12, 2008

For 20 years, homeless families in the town of Narra , Palawan waited for shelter they can call their own.

But last Wednesday, Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chairman Noli ‘Kabayan’ De Castro arrived in Narra to announce that the wait is finally over.

Grandmother Violeta Gabayeron can’t stop her tears from falling as she received her certificate of lot allocation (CELA) from De Castro during the awarding ceremonies attended by a thousand residents of the peaceful town.

The CELA in the hands of Gabayeron is a proof that she already owns the land where she resides. It also proof of her tenure of security.

“Having a roof is not enough. Our people should also have the land where they can build their houses, which they can call their own and will enable them to sleep soundly at night.” De Castro said, knowing that they are no longer squatters but homeowners.

The whole of the property awarded to Gabayeron, along with other beneficiaries is part of a land in Narra that is under public domain.

On June 20, 1988, President Corazon Aquino signed proclamation 275, which allocated portions of the land for the municipal high school and national government center sites.

Since the proclamation covers a huge tract of land, local officials of Narra then urged the national government to amend the proclamation and allocate a portion of the land for socialized housing.

Heeding their call, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, through presidential proclamation 574, allocated around 200 hectares of land in barangays Antipuluan and Panacan for qualified beneficiaries.

The move is part of the government’s policy to prioritize housing. De Castro said. “One way to quickly implement it is by awarding public lands that are not being used by the government. Since 2001, some 108 proclamations and executive orders paved the way of the distribution of 26,450 hectares of land for 250,000 families,” he added.

“Today, you are part of the growing number of beneficiaries of the housing program of the government,” he added.

For Antipuluan and Panacan, De Castro said that HUDCC has already allocated P2.8 million for DENR-Palawan. Half of the amount was already released for a survey aimed at preparing the titles of lands to be awarded to the families.

“At present, 1,800 lots have already been generated by the survey and 28 hectares were reserved for institutional use while portions were allocated for Muslims residing in Narra,” he added.

Of the 1,200 families projected by a local census to benefit from this project, De Castro noted that only 120 have applied to the local government.

According to reports within the locality, the low number of applications can be attributed to the local folks’ doubt on the genuineness of the housing program itself as well as the sincerity of the local government’s effort in implementing the said program.

However, Palawan governor Joel Reyes said that the government’s housing program just gained substantial credibility with the arrival of De Castro in his province. With this, he is expecting an increase in the number of applications for the program soon.

“I know that the people of Palawan will start believing in the housing program of the government now that they have seen none other that the Vice President endorsing it,” Reyes said.

After Narra, De Castro proceeded to Puerto Princesa to distribute CELAs and titles to beneficiaries of the CMP projects and presidential proclamations in the said city.

Led by Mayor Ed Hagedorn, more than 2,000 residents welcomed De Castro at the Puerto Princesa coliseum.

Around 6,000 beneficiaries were awarded during the ceremonies where De Castro stressed the importance of tenure of security and the obligation of each beneficiary once they have acquired their own land.

Aside from being one of the cleanest and greenest cities in the country, De Castro cited Palawan , with the support of its local government officials for its huge contribution in pushing for the housing programs of the government in the province.

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