“Bisitahan, Kamustahan, and Socio-economic Profiling of the relocated informal settler families (ISFs) under the P50B Alternative Housing Program and People’s Plan (AHPPP)”

In 2010, the National Technical Working Group for Informal Settler Families (ISF-NTWG), with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as lead agency, was established with the order of then President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, to operationalize the covenant he made with urban poor groups.  50 Billion Pesos was allotted for the conceptualization of an Alternative Housing Program and People’s Plan Fund (AHPPPF).

The DILG Informal Settler Families – Project Management Office, in partnership with the National Council of Social Development (NCSD), conducted the “Bisitahan, Kamustahan, and Socio-economic Profiling of the relocated informal settler families (ISFs) under the P50B Alternative Housing Program and People’s Plan (AHPPP)” from February to March 2017.

Given that the DILG is the lead agency in the implementation of the 50B AHPFF, it is crucial for the Department to be able to monitor the accomplishments of agencies who were recipients of the fund directly from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The National Council of Social Development (NCSD) is an active NGO partner of DILG and the LGUs and supports the supply side of implementation.  As a network of social welfare development agencies (SWDAs), NCSD has, in the past, acted as a proponent together with DSWD-NCR of a strategy entitled “Oplan Balik Bahay Sagip Buhay (OBBSB)” in 2015.  This proposed project will link and enhance the OBBSB-MCCT that was implemented by building on the housing information and mobilizing and strengthening NCSD members and network in target LGUs to provide appropriate social services and build convergence strategies that will address the concerns of children and families in the relocation sites.

The general objective of the activity is to assess the production and occupancy rate, livability, ability and sustainability of resettlement sites.

In close collaboration with its partner LGUs in the NCR (National Capital Region), Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan  areas, DILG in partnership with NCSD conducted an orientation and training of survey enumerators and encoders from February 15 to 17, 2017; February 15, 2017 at Rosalies Resto, Marilao Bulacan (Bulacan and NCR areas) wherein 86 pax attended; February 16, 2017 at Norwegian Mission Alliance (Rizal and NCR areas) wherein 81 pax attended; and February 17, 107 at Rolando’s Lechonan, Naic Cavite (Cavite areas) wherein 64 pax attended, with a total of 231 participants.

As of March 06, 2017, a total of 51,372 survey forms have been encoded with an estimated remainder of 9,275 for encoding. The database system employed was able to generate the following partial results:

Based on the interviews with the residents, the following table shows the breakdown of the number of ISF beneficiaries per housing provider. NHA refers to the housing provision by the said agency through the pre-emptive relocation modality. SHFC refers to the housing provision of the said agency through the High-Density Housing (HDH) Program achieved through the People’s Plan modality. The figures under the DSWD and LGU Allocation, however, pertain to the housing units which the ISF beneficiaries/interviewees perceive to have been provided by the said agencies.

From the baseline number of 60,647, a total of 13,287 ISFs originated from the identified waterways; 2,311 originated from the other danger areas identified in Republic Act No. 7279; and 957 were housing units allocated by the LGUs for its internal ISF. A significant number amounting to 44,092 ISFs were either out during validation or was not able to identify their place of origin.

There are a total of 48,213 occupied units while 11,638 are unoccupied, 796 were either abandoned, out during validation, or the unit has been converted into other usage such as day care center, place of worship, etc.

Only 22,110 were identified to be the original beneficiaries of the ISF Program, while 5,325 identified themselves as relatives of the original beneficiaries, informal occupants refers to those who are not the original beneficiaries but are currently occupying the housing units. They are either a renter, a buyer, or a caretaker of the housing unit. A total of 30,892 comprise those who are either out during validation or are not able to identify/ declare their tenurial status or arrangement in the respective housing units that they are occupying.