Vice President Jejomar C. Binay on Thursday led the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the provincial and the city government of Cebu that would allow informal settlers occupying province-owned lots in the city to acquire the property.
Binay, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), signed the MOU along with Governor Gwen Garcia and Mayor Michael Rama.
“Sa MOU na ito aming ipinapangako na ang provincial government ng Cebu, ang pamahalaang lungsod ng Cebu, at ang mga pambansang ahensiyang pabahay ay magtutulungan para maisaayos at mapasainyo ang lupaing kinatitirikan ng inyong mga bahay,” Binay told homeowners who witnessed the signing.
The provincial government distributed more than 46 hectares of land occupied by informal settlers.
“Bagamat ang nasabing lupa ay sumasakop sa labing-isang barangay, sisimulan natin ang pagpapatupad sa kasunduang ito sa apat na barangay na kinabibilangan ng Busay, Camputhaw, Capitol Site at Kalunasan,” Binay said.
He added that according to a census from the National Housing Authority (NHA), 1,366 lots were already available for distribution.
“Gagawin namin ang lahat ng aming makakaya upang ang presyo ng mga lupa ay maging abot-kaya sa inyong lahat,” Binay said.
He said the properties can be included in the Community Mortgage Program of the Social Housing Finance Corporation, or the group housing program or end-user financing program of Pag-IBIG Fund.
Binay said that only 35 percent of the homeowners, or 1,750 families, were able to continuously pay for the land covered by Provincial Ordinance 93-1 issued by the provincial government in July last year.
Garcia and Rama both expressed their appreciation for the Vice President for brokering the agreement.
“I am extremely happy. I am sure that the program will push through because Vice President Binay helped the provincial government and city government to reach a compromise. He made it happen,” Rama said.
“I am thankful to the Vice President because he paved the way for us to finally reach solutions to this problem. Dumating na ang panahon na malutas natin ang problema ng 93-1,” Governor Garcia said.
Meanwhile, in Bohol, the Vice President joined former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri in a boodle fight with military personnel of the 2nd Special Forces Regimen (Airborne) Special Operations Command (PA) headquarters in Brgy. Riverside, Bilar, Wednesday.
The Vice President also attended a mass wedding ceremony of 39 couples in Carmen, Bohol. After the wedding, Binay donated eight wheelchairs to physically disabled-residents of the municipality.