Lost in Relocation

North Triangle ISFs rebuild dream for in-city housing

by Renee Cuisia and Mikko Ringia

Cramped corrugated iron sheets and tattered tarpaulin pieces make up the exterior of what Aling Basion Verza, 55, calls home. Her ramshackle cottage doubles as an enterprise for her growing family of four children as it provides Sitio San Roque locals the usual noodles, coffee and other food varieties.

Since 1989, Verza has been a resident of the hotly contested property in North Triangle area in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa where informal residents established self-built units across.

Eight years ago, however, she saw her house completely demolished to the ground when the National Housing Authority (NHA) started reclaiming their land, paving way for the Quezon City Central Business District (QC-CBD).

Through a joint venture agreement with Ayala Land Inc., the 30-hectare government property was envisioned to recover its commercial purpose by transforming into a “world-class business hub”. In the process however, close to 7,000 informal settlers were evicted.

In 2013, the NHA provided qualified informal settler families (ISFs) housing units located in Rizal and Bulacan but most of them, including Verza and her family, came back to San Roque for a better chance of livelihood.

“Ang importante ay trabaho…basta may maayos na trabaho, di na namin kailangan bumalik sa [demolished] areas,” Verza said.

Now, more than 4,000 illegitimate locals stall the completion of the supposed business district in assertion of on-site and humane housing.

Full blown operations

Quezon City’s Housing, Community Development and Resettlement Department (HCDRD) listed a total of 193, 403 ISFs in the whole city alone. Following the office’s estimate of five members per family, informal settlers comprise 30.5 percent of the 3.1 million city population by the National Statistics Office 2016 census.

Furthermore, government development projects make up nearly ten percent of the overall ISF population in Quezon City, while people residing in private properties constitute to more than half.

“Whether you believe it or not, kami [NHA] ay nasa full-blown operations na. Sadyang napakalaki lang ng demand ng housing ng urban poor natin dito at napakakaunti lang ng supply [of relocation houses]. We really are trying our best,” NHA spokesperson Elsie Trinidad said.

Meanwhile, North Triangle Relocation and Resettlement Project (NTRRP) Head Engineer Henry Mayrina explained only around 2,000 off-city housing units are available at the moment and are exclusively “allocated for the qualified San Roque ISFs”.

The backlog is aggravated by policies regarding the allotment of state-funded housing. Only the qualified settlers can avail relocation facilities. Current housing schemes do not cover disqualified residents, who make up 54% of the total ISF population.

“Lahat ng nakapila sa NHA, halos mga disqualified iyon. Kaya napakahaba ng pila kasi kung may extra, sa qualified pa rin binbigay,” Trinidad said.

However, the NHA is working to recalibrate its provisions for disqualified ISFs ever since President Rodrigo Duterte announced last July that demolitions are not allowed unless quality relocation can be assured to affected families.

“Dahil [sa] pronouncement ng president…tinatrabaho namin na at least man lang mabigyan sila ng pabahay [pero] hindi kasing level [ng qualified ISFs] kasi unfair. Na-disqualify ka. Kaya dapat nga, wala ka nang karapatan,” Mayrina said.

“Sa ngayon, ang ire-relocate lang namin yung legitimate and qualified,” he added.

Ricky Indicio, a vendor in San Roque was qualified for housing in 2010 but Indicio refused to proceed to the resettlement area because his extended family failed to become eligible.

“Dapat may karapatan sa dekalidad na pabahay ang lahat. Maraming nawawasak na pamilya dahil diyan,” Indicio, who already lived in the community for 30 years, said.

In 2016, the number of disqualified ISFs in North Triangle rose by 38 percent. Mayrina admitted that there has been a swell of ISFs in recent years but they have been difficult to document as they tend to come and go. The ISF population may be bigger than official count, he said.

Indicio, estimates them to be at the thousands.

“Marami sa amin galing probinsya, iniisip na mas mabuti buhay dito sa kalunsuran. Mas may pera dito,” he said. Many too, like Verza, return from relocation sites, he added.

“Marami pang pasulpot-sulpot ng hihingi [ng pabahay]. Pero binabantayan namin kasi sarado na listahan namin kaya alam namin kung ngayon ka lang pumunta diyan. Hindi na madagdagan iyan” Mayrina said.

Getting back home

Upon arriving at the relocation sites, Verza and thousands of relocatees found their new homes devoid of basic facilities like water and electricity. In rare occasions such as in Muzon, Bulacan where Verza resettled, the homes had available roofs and water.

The same cannot be said for others such as Towerville or Montalban however where her children were relocated to.

“Di totoong bahay ang mga yun [Towerville], di man lang maayos pagkagawa,” she said.

Moreover, the relocation sites’ relative isolation proved unfruitful to relocatees’ livelihood necessities. They were far away from making additional income, unlike in Quezon City where every congested street was an opportunity for the likes of Verza to earn.

However, these issues occur in accordance with the law. According to NHA Spokesperson Trinidad, their office is limited by law to mere house “production”, as stated in Executive Order (E.O.) 90.

E.O. 90 mandates NHA to engage in shelter production, with a specific focus to the urban poor.

“We are only the production arm of government housing efforts. Providing any more than that, ‘yang livelihood programs and basic necessities, should be the problem of the LGU [local government unit]” Trinidad said.

Under Republic Act №7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) of 1992, it is up to LGUs to develop the livelihoods of their relocatees and provide them with stable sources of income.

“Hinahanapan ng mga solusyon yan,” said Quezon City’s HCDRD head Joey Dela Rosa.

“‘Yung kabuhayan, diyan tayo nagsisimula eh. Yung trabaho, hindi nawawala yan. Dagdag obligasyon lang iyan pero kung titingnan mo, ano ang kapalit noon? Siyempre ‘yung permanenteng pabahay na makukuha mo doon,” Dela Rosa added.

According to a 2014 report by the HUDCC, not all LGUs were able to meet the relocatees’ demand for housing and basic services.

This certainly is the case for Verza and the undocumented many who keep their homes in relocation sites, but return to Manila to continue earning a living.

“Pag bumabalik kami sa Muzon di ko na kilala karamihan sa kapitbahay ko. Dalawa lang kasi ang option diyan — ibenta mo bahay mo o bumalik kang Maynila para sa kabuhayan. Dito [sa San Roque] nakakaraos pa kami,” Verza said.

Though the NHA forbids the selling of resettlement units, many ISFs practice this out of desperation, according to Verza.

Different solutions

For both Indicio and Verza, instead of relocation to faraway provinces, on-site development is the solution.

“Kung di mo ‘ko mabibigyan ng trabaho sa relocation, ito ang i-develop mo,” said Verza pointing to her makeshift home at the sitio.

However, Mayrina rejects this thought.

“Ang North Triangle na land ng NHA is classified commercial. Hindi siya residential. Kaya ‘yung ginigiit nila na mag on-site [development], hindi talaga mabibigay. Commercial yan since time immemorial,” the North Triangle project head said.

He added that granting this would result to a breach of contract with Ayala Land Inc. Even the closest alternative, which is in-city development or relocating within Metro Manila, is not possible according to Trinidad.

“In-city sites have saturated the city,” she said. The next options after this are near-city and off-city development sites.

“Bakit inuuna ang mga korporasyon bago tao? Develop mo dapat muna yung tao mismo, hindi yung business o lupa. Serbisyong pabahay at hindi pang negosyo dapat,” Indicio said.

Under E.O. 90, NHA is mandated to provide housing to those who need it the most.

“Mandato naman din ng gobyerno na unahin kami diba?” he further asked.

Projected values show that the following years will see a total increase of up to 1,500 residents in San Roque.

“Hanggang sa pagretire ko, di pa rin sila mauubos diyan. Narito naman din kasi kabuhayan nila.” Mayrina said.

“Sa ngayon, di pa naman bumabalik mga nangde-demolish kaya hinay-hinay lang ako,” said Verza as she tended her kiosk of a home. “Kita muna, at saka na ulit pag pinapaalis lalaban.”