400 Urban Poors to Receive Lot Titles Once Obligations Settled

Close to 400 urban poor families in four coastal barangays of Cebu City may soon receive the titles of their lots that they had acquired through the government’s Slum Improvement and Resettlement (SIR) project if they will settle their minimal remaining balance of their amortizations.

Collin Rosell, head of the City Hall’s Division for the Welfare of Urban Poor, said after he reviewed the records of the SIR project beneficiaries in Barangays Pasil, Suba, Sawang Calero and Sitio Alaska, Mambaling, he found out that 399 of them only have an amortization balance amounting up to P5,000.

“Gamay na lang kaayo ang ilang obligasyon. Siyaro og dili nila bayaran ang maong kantidad nga bugti niini mahingpit na man nila nga mapanag-iya ang yuta nga ilang gipuy-an,” Rosell told the reporters.

The records showed that there were more than 3,000 who benefited the SIR project that was undertaken by former Ministry of Human Settlement and was implemented by the National Housing Authority.

Rosell explained that the project, including the collection of the remaining amortization, was later turned over to the city government during the stint of then Mayor Florentino S. Solon, but the collection of the amortization was not strictly implemented.

After more than 20 years since the SIR project was implemented, hundreds of the beneficiaries still failed to fully pay their obligation to the government.

According to Rosell, once the concerned beneficiaries will be fully paid of their obligation to the city, his office would immediately work for the issuance of the land titles or certificate of full payment.