PEOPLE’S PARK. The perspective of the La Fuerza Real People’s Park, a project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that will be constructed in Barangay Maybato Sur in San Jose de Buenavista. Eby Archangel Butiong, secretary of Antique’s Provincial Housing Board, said on Friday (July 15, 2022) that the informal settlers in the area have already started to leave because of the development plan. (Photo courtesy DENR-PENRO Antique)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Some of the 41 informal settler families in this capital town have begun to relocate to give way to the construction of the “La Fuerza Real” People’s Park.
Eby Archangel Butiong, secretary of Antique’s Provincial Housing Board, said in an interview Friday that out of the 41 families set to move from the easement lot of the Malandog River in Barangay Maybato Sur in San Jose de Buenavista, 35 families have been given more time to relocate.
“The Antique provincial government has given the remaining informal settlers until next month in order for them to be relocated,” Butiong said.
He added that these families have already purchased their home lots from a private land owner nearby as they refused to transfer to the relocation site provided by the provincial government in the adjacent town of Hamtic.
Being fishermen, the majority of the families refused to move to the relocation site as they want to continue living near the river.
“The other six families out of the 41 had already left on May 31 after they were given financial assistance by the provincial government for their transfer elsewhere,” Butiong said.
The construction of the La Fuerza Real People’s Park on a 6,300 square meter lot near the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office is part of the plan to make the area an eco-tourism attraction in the province. (PNA)
