FIRE VICTIMS. Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Secretary Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go gives his personal shoes to a fire victim during his visit at Brgy. 741 Zone 80 Malate, Manila on Wednesday (June 6, 2018) , He also visited fire victims in Brgy. Poblacion, Muntinlupa City. (PNA photo by Rico H. Borja)
MANILA — The Office of the President (OP) continued its routine visits to communities affected by fire, extending coordinated assistance from different government agencies directly to the victims.
On Wednesday afternoon, Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go represented the Chief Executive in personally handing over relief packages and cash assistance to families left homeless due to separate fires at Brgy. 741 Zone 80 Paco, Manila and at Espeleta Pantalan St., Brgy. Poblacion, Muntinlupa.
In his Manila visit, Go again assured the affected families that OP's doors are open for any assistance requests.
Go was joined by Noel Felongco, chairman of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP); Manila 6th District Rep. Rosenda Ann Ocampo; actor Philip Salvador; and Jimmy Bondoc, assistant vice president for entertainment at the government-run Philippine Gaming Corporation.
Among those present were representatives of the OP, Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
"Nandito po ako para maitawid ang kaunting tulong, para mapasaya kayo ng kaunti kahit sandali (I'm here to bring some assistance to cheer you up)," he told the more than 60 families affected by the blaze in Manila.
"Bukas po ang aming tanggapan para sa kung anong maitutulong namin, ang National Housing Authority (NHA), ang PCUP, and DSWD, DOH, lalo na ang opisina ni Pangulong Duterte (Our offices are open to any assistance, the National Housing Authority, the PCUP, and DSWD, DOH, especially the office of President Duterte)," he added.
In Manila and Muntinlupa, Felongco said PCUP will conduct capacity building activities for the community. PCUP's mandate is to serve as the direct link of the urban poor to the government in policy formulation and program implementation.
"Kung hindi pa sila organized, bilang part ng effort para mapalakas ang kanilang grupo ay magbibigay kami ng capacity building activities like leadership, financial management, at literacy trainings and seminars para sa kanila (If they are not still organized, as part of the effort to strengthen their group, we would provide capacity building activities like leadership , financial management and literacy trainings and seminars to them),” Felongco said.
PCUP, as part of the team visiting razed residences, also assesses land areas where burned houses originally stood.
"Kung ang lupang ito ay sa gobyerno na, kami ang magmumungkahi na gawing presidential proclamation at ibibigay sa mga residente, ang pagpapagawa naman ng bahay through NHA (If this area is owned by the government, we will propose to come up with a presidential proclamation, giving it to the residents. The houses will be built through NHA),” he said.
In case of a private-owned land, Felongco said, the OP, through PCUP, often holds dialogue with the owner for possible negotiation. The informal settlers are then referred to the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), where they would be given an at least 25 to 30 years loan.
Since it is necessary that a legitimate urban poor group in an area be established, Felongco said the PCUP is now identifying if the fire victims are well-represented so that they can easily avail these government programs and services.
In Paco, Manila, Felongco said part is already under NHA, but a portion is still under litigation as some private entities are claiming ownership over the parcels.
Meanwhile, in Espelita Pantalan, Brgy. Poblacion, Muntinlupa, the 302 structures that house around 400 families are owned by the Laguna Lake Development Authority. (PNA)
