Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Chairman Jejomar C. Binay will hold a dialogue on Thursday, March 24, with about 2,500 residents of the Vitas Tenement (also known as Diosdado Macapagal Tenement) in Brgy. 99, Zone 8, District 1, Vitas, Tondo, Manila to discuss their concerns about relocation and government assistance.
Vice President Binay will be joined in his visit by National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Atty. Chito M. Cruz, NHA West Sector Project officers, Local Inter-Agency Committee (LIAC) Members, Local Government Unit (LGU) officials to discuss their issues, concerns and hazards and seek resolutions from partner agencies for the immediate transfer and relocation of families to safe, livable resettlement projects of the government where they will have security of tenure.
“We must ensure the welfare and safety of the residents considering the housing project is already in bad shape. In light of the recent earthquake in Japan, we must prepare to relocate the residents to soundly constructed housing projects,” Binay said.
To date, there are eighty (80) volunteer families ready to transfer before the end of March to Towerville VI, Gaya-Gaya, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
Earlier, Vitas Tenement occupants visited NHA relocation sites in Calauan, Laguna; Medium Rise Housing in Camarin and in Towerville VI or Brgy. Gaya-Gaya, San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.
This major redevelopment of the national government tenement housing project in Vitas, Tondo, Manila is the current thrust and program of the Aquino Administration.
Constructed in 1963, the Vitas Tenement was declared by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) unsafe to its tenants. In 1994, DPWH and the City Building officials of Manila have declared the building as “high risk, ruinous and dangerous” and have called for the vacation of the building.
As of July 30, 2010, the building was condemned per assessment report of the Task Force on Building and Bridge Inspection composed of structural engineers from the DPWH – Bureau of Design.
Earlier, the Vice President ordered all key shelter agencies to conduct safety inspections of their respective housing projects.
Binay said housing agencies should be ready to immediately relocate residents in unsafe housing units, in coordination with the respective local authorities.
“The primary concern here is to ensure the safety and welfare of all the families in our housing projects. We must be prepared for all eventualities,” Binay said.