ZAMBOANGA CITY – Local urban poor organizations members have thanked popular and re-electionist Mayor Beng Climaco and the City Council for heeding to their appeal for a resettlement site for poor families and informal settlers, especially victims of calamities and conflict.
Marissa Aizon, president of the Zamboanga City Homeowners’ and People’s Organization Federation Inc., (ZCH-POFI) said the proposed resettlement site in Barangay Talisayan will benefit many beneficiaries of the urban poor.
Aizon said they do not meddle with the processes of how the local government would acquire the land for resettlement sites. “Actually, recommendation lang del (urban poor) sector, del federation. No preference as to where, how much, basta el de amon ta pidi, dale ya el lote para resettlement site,” she said.
She said it was only in the administration of Mayor Beng that the local government acted on the dire needs of the poor for shelters. “El carta recommendation from the urban poor sector addressed con el govierno que ta pidi kame lote para resettlement site, actually dos carta era se, el uno na east coast y el otro na west coast.
“El clamor del sector antes pa siguro maga 18 años ya el que ya pasa. Ta pidi ya gayot kame se y cuantos Housing office chief ya sinta amo gayot el clamor del sector para intendido for resettlement site,” Aizon said in a recent television interview.
Aizon said they have been talking to informal settlers and brought their predicament and appeals to various government agencies to act on their long sought housing facilities. “Ta servi kame linkages or bridge as an (urban poor) sector del diferentes urban poor association and home association. Ta lleba kame maga cosa necesita (del maga pobre) na (atencion) del maga ahensya gobyerno consierne, now timely ya hace kame el carta and upon the approval y el tax amnesty which ya hace kame tamen el request del urban poor sector and granted naman and so thank you.”
“So upon the approval of that ordenanza, ya hace ya tamen yo otro carta para con el govierno (local) que ta pidi kame para this time dale ya lote para lang na Districts 1 and 2. Now, no lo se yo si donde (el resettlement site) basta el de amon recommendation, ya dale ya lote. So gracias kay ya dale ya,” she said.
Aizon said the letter she wrote to Mayor Beng was upon the recommendation of their group. “In this connection, the federated UPA’s, NGO’s, and PO’s is requesting your kind gesture to support through the undersigned to acquire lands to be developed into a resettlement sites of the city aimed at providing decent shelter and secure land tenure for the under privileged and homeless informal settlers families of the city. Your most favorable actions anent this humble request are very much anticipated,” part of the letter reads.
Aizon’s groups also held many meetings with their members and various government agencies to bring the issue of the need for resettlement locations for the urban poor. “ El Board (of Directors del ZCH-POFI), el (maga) oficiales prinsipiya na Chairperson y junto na Board of Directors, ta conduci el de amon maga meetings, so apart from the board meetings. Tiene kame assembly meetings, tiene tamen kame inter-agency meetings meaning todo ahensya del govierno will represented by their department heads,” she said.
Paid black propagandists and their army of trolls and even political opponents of Mayor Beng have questioned the proposed resettlement site, citing a report by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology that the Talisayan area is prone to tsunami which can occur if there is a massive earthquake. But they did not say that a large part of Zamboanga is also prone to such a powerful series of waves due largely to the city’s topography, especially in the coastal areas. And not all earthquakes would trigger a tsunami.
“Tiene man maga personas experto, para mira con el lote. Kame basta ya recomenda, sila buska, sila man negotiate, y si ready ya, man develop ya (el resettlement site). Entra ya maga naka-pipeline, na program beneficiary na resettlement. Amo lang el de amun concern. Ya recomenda lang kame so as to the deliberation for the approval (of the purchase) and identifying the lot, nohay mas ya kame (alle),” Aizon said.
“As long as buildable y talla el maga basic services, pati puwede gayot, suitable for socialized housing I must say, basta suitable socialized housing. Siguro quien man tambien miembros o victim del calamidad man refuse para entra na relocating site,” she added.
Aizon said she is sure that the government will provide all the necessary safety precautions from the housing project itself and other basic infrastructure at the proposed urban poor resettlement site. “Tiene maga agencias de govierno cay puwede man implement con ese. Tiene se maga ingenieros or engineers,” she said.
A member of the ZCH-POFI, Editha Talosig, also said that even the whole of San Ramon, where the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone or Zamboanga Freeport Authority is located, is prone to tsunami just like other areas in Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon and other parts of the world.
“Example el San Ramon, alle lang gat na custao (del mar) el maga vivientes y nohay man cosa alla ta pasa. Yun tsunami maskin saan yan, kahit mga tao sa Talisayan nandoon lang yun. So ang iniisip namin puwede rin ang resettlement doon, marami ang nakatira doon (sa Talisayan). Yun ang iniisip namin, for example, yun San Ramon wala naman nangyari (ng tsunami doon) kaya nga sa akin okay doon (sa Talisayan).
Abelardo Tarroza, ZCH-POFI assistant secretary, said they really appreciated the deep concern of Mayor Beng for the poor and her sincerity in helping them by providing resettlement sites to those who needed it most.
“Ta pidi gat kame gracias na de atun Mayor cay el carta (del urban poor members) yan action le dayun. Cay bien manada de atun maga pobre vivientes ta queda lang nohay tierra y grande ya se oportunidad para con ellos nohay tierra,” he said.
Following their honest statements regarding the proposed Talisayan resettlement area, supporters of Mayor Beng fear that black propagandists and her foes may spend a huge amount of money to pay out for people to either attack or discredit Aizon, Talosig and Tarroza or even their group whose members could reach over 20,000. And spread fake news on Facebook and pay the social media giant to buy “likes” and boost their false information for their own selfish and vested interest. (BCPR)
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