PRESS
RELEASE
Refer to: Ms. Dale Zapata
25
June 2005
8332148/8334507
Amidst
controversies facing the country today
KABAYAN:
NOW IS OPPORTUNE TIME TO SPEAK AND ACT ON POVERTY
In
the light of various controversial issues hounding the government,
Vice President and concurrent Housing
and Urban Development
Coordinating Council (HUDCC)
Chairman Noli ‘Kabayan’ de Castro
strongly urged everyone to take a stand, speak up and take action on
the real problem that the country has been facing for a long time ---
the problem on poverty.
Speaking
at the gathering of Gawad Kalinga (GK) leaders and volunteers at the
Ultra in Pasig City, Vice President De Castro reminded his audience
that while there are a lot of loose political talk going around, we
cannot afford to lose focus and be confused for it will only to
derail the nation’s efforts to face the real problem of poverty,
particularly those concerned with housing.
The
Vice President believes that instead of wasting time and effort in
divisive political intramurals, we should concentrate on embarking in
fruitful undertakings and partnerships very much like what is
happening between the government and the Gawad Kalinga, a
non-governmental group involved in building houses for the
underprivileged.
Vice
President De Castro admitted that the government alone cannot address
the shortage in housing and gladly reported that the government’s
joint effort with the GK resulted to a development of some 500 GK
housing communities for at least 50,000 families who were given the
chance to start a better life.
The
GK Luzon is also in the forefront of working with HUDCC and other key
shelter agencies in the establishment of some 40,000 housing units
for the victims of flooding in different places in Luzon brought
about by powerful typhoons last year.
The
Vice President also took the chance to spell out the four occasions
of government cooperation with the GK through the HUDCC--- the
combined effort on slum upgrade, the fast tracking of approval of GK
housing projects, the identification of housing projects where the
government can contribute and orderly, peaceful and humane transfer
of informal settlers to relocation sites.
Certainly
these joint efforts of government and the private sector are not
without hitches, but with continued cooperation and coordination the
Vice President is confident that housing problems as well as other
poverty-related problems will be adequately addressed.
Ref
no. VPMEDIA 05-077
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2005,
Office of the Vice President (OVP) - Management Information Services
Division (MISD). All rights reserved.
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