BORACAY Island—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Western Visayas will start soon the cash-for-work program for thousands of Boracay residents, workers and the Aetas.
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NGO alert
MEANWHILE, Terry L. Ridon, a lawyer and former urban poor chief of Duterte, seeks to ensure government assistance to displaced families during the demolition of structures.
“As the President stands firm on the rehabilitation of Boracay, the government should ensure that housing assistance is provided to all ISFs [informal settler families] covered by demolition orders,” Ridon, currently convener of InfrawatchPH, was quoted in a statement issued on May 2.
Ridon said “no demolition without relocation” is among the longstanding presidential policies of the President, which should correspondingly be implemented during the Boracay rehabilitation.
“While we appreciate the commitment of the [Task Force Boracay] that housing assistance will be provided to all affected ISFs, we have yet to see the engagement of relevant agencies into the matter, such as the National Housing Authority [NHA] and the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor [PCUP],” said Ridon, former party-list representative of Kabataan.
He explained the NHA provides the housing assistance, while the PCUP ensures all protections and entitlements are afforded the affected families.
“Housing assistance should be given a share in the calamity fund that will be used for the Boracay rehabilitation,” he added.
Ridon said housing assistance can include resettlement areas within Boracay to house the island’s low-income communities.
“Many affected ISFs are informal or low-income workers doing various jobs in the island,” Ridon added. “It would be good to provide them housing within the island as they comprise the base of service economy of Boracay.”
Ridon said transitional shelters can be set up by the NHA during the rehabilitation months.
“The NHA has done a good job in the quality of transitional shelters in Marawi,” he added. “Perhaps, they can do the same for all the affected ISFs in Boracay.”