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Refer to: Ms. Marge A. Jorillo
811-4198
Study shows South
Rail settlers ready to relocate
06 April 2006
A due
diligence study commissioned by the Korean
Export-Import Bank (Eximbank) found the preparations for the South Rail resettlement program
“very impressive,” and the
affected families themselves
generally well-informed and ready for relocation.
Eximbank, along with the Economic
Development Cooperation
Fund (EDCF) of Korea, signed an agreement to provide funding amounting to $15.42
million and $35 million,
respectively, for Phase 1 of the South Rail Commuter Project of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
Phase 1 will affect some 31,752 families living along the 40-kilometer stretch from
Kalookan-South to
Alabang,
Muntinlupa.
The study
team found a high level of awareness among the affected families, 98.19% of whom
learned about the relocation
program from the general assemblies, consultation meetings and information
campaign carried out by the
local government.
There were no
negative responses to the benefits package prepared by government, despite
some concerns arising from
limited information on the availability of facilities such as water supply and
electricity in the relocation
sites.
According to
the study, the systems for the relocation program prepared by the National Housing Authority (NHA)
“ are well in-place and organized.”
It also
reports that “PNR/NHA has
established a satisfactory
procedure for the relocation of the affected families, and the study team is
generally satisfied with the
stakeholders’ response to the
project.”
From
interviews with affected families in Makati, the study determined a 98% awareness about
the relocation site and 80%
awareness of the relocation package. Of the families interviewed, 75% prefer to
move to the relocations sites.
The ongoing
voluntary relocation of families from Makati to the Southville
resettlement site in Cabuyao
was found to
be “very systematic and orderly.”
Some of the
relocated families from Barangay
San Antonio, Makati
expressed positive sentiments after one year in the relocation site. “Mas
mabuti rito,” “panatag ang
kalooban ko rito, nawala ang kaba, ligtas ang mga anak ko rito,” “masarap dito,
mahangin at malapit sa
estasyon,” are some of their comments.
But despite
its overall positive findings, the study also revealed various concerns that need
to be addressed. These include
the lack of recent activity in
verifying and updating the occupancy status in
three other
affected sites—Taguig, Parañaque and Muntinlupa—and the need for further
social preparation and
disclosure in these areas.
Other
concerns are the need to define a target schedule for completing three other
relocation sites in addition
to Southville, relocation strategies for these additional relocation sites, and
income and livelihood
restoration for all the relocatees.
Vice
President Noli “Kabayan” De Castro welcomed the findings of the Eximbank study, saying that
it is both “an affirmation of
our preparedness for the South Rail relocation, and an eye-opener on the
things where we need to do
more work.”
“We learned a
lot from our success and the challenges we had to overcome in North Rail, and
those lessons will certainly
help us in South Rail,” he said.
©
Copyright
2005
Office of the Vice President (OVP)
Management Information Services
Division (MISD). All rights reserved.
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