Manila's informal settlers wary about reclamation project

MANILA, Philippines - Informal settlers in Manila’s port area have launched an awareness campaign about a reclamation project which may dislocate them. In a statement, an urban poor group said that 10,000 residents of the Bataan Shipyard and Engineering Co. (BASECO) have sent and written letters to Malacañang everyday since May 13 to express concerns about the possibility of eviction. Although the government has already given them the right to stay in the area, land titles have yet to be issued to the beneficiaries which would guarantee their security of tenure. The Urban Poor Associates (UPA) said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last May 13 led the groundbreaking ceremony of the Baseco Reclamation Expansion Project. The project’s first phase covers ten hectares, costs P252 million, and will house some 3,000 families. The reclamation project to be undertaken by Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) is located outside the existing 56-hectare Baseco compound that was proclaimed for the 6,000-8,000 resident families in 2002. The Master plan shows that Phase 2 of the reclamation project, with a total area of 180.14 hectares, includes an oil depot area, dumping round, anchorage area, buffer zone/inland channel and 135-hectares of saleable lots. In the letters, the residents thank President Arroyo for having proclaimed Baseco as a socialized housing, but say that up to now no documents have been issued pertaining to the land titles in the reclamation that guarantee security of tenure. The government says it will reclaim the 10 hectares as proposed and move families there from the 56 hectares. The government will then develop 35 hectares of the 56 hectares proclaimed for commercial purposes. The housing rights group also noted that the residents have expressed apprehension about the other families in the area. “It is not clear who the beneficiaries are. Will it be only families in 2001? What of the other thousands of families living there now?" the group said. The group added that in 2001, a survey conducted by the City of Manila indicated that some 6,000 families stayed in the area. Besides raising issues regarding the housing project’s affordability, the group also sought government clarification regarding the 2,000 houses built by organizations such as Gawad Kalinga and Habitat for Humanity. - GMANews.TV