SEN. JV: "IN-CITY HOUSING A 'WIN-WIN' SOLUTION FOR POOR AND GOV'T"

Senator JV Ejercito is convinced that a law mandating in-city relocation program would be a win-win solution for both poor and homeless beneficiaries and local governments. He said this could be accomplished through his Senate Bill No. 2852 also known as On-site, In-City or Near-City Resettlement Act.

Ejercito said it is high time that the government provide for a sustainable and viable resettlement program within cities, and no longer at faraway places, in order to provide employment and transportation access for informal settler families (ISFs).

He added that said communities should no longer be treated as mere beneficiaries, but as active partners of the government's resettlement program.

"I can confidently attest to the effectiveness of in-city housing because we have accomplished this in San Juan City. In our desire to provide decent housing to the families living in danger zones, our city government built a medium-rise socialized housing for the poor. We were able to monitor and document all housing requirements through the assistance of the National Housing Authority and The City Social Welfare Development Office. Eventually, this resulted to a viable community provided for our ISFs. It remains to be a win-win solution for our LGU and poor communities," Ejercito, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing, and Resettlement, said.

Ejercito said he wants to share San Juan's success housing story to all LGUs across the country in need of a strategic housing program so as to help the country resolve the 5.5-Million housing backlog.