TWENTY-ONE houses along the three-meter easement of the Tipolo creek will be affected once the City Engineering Office starts the flood control project on LTHAI road in Brgy. Tipolo, Mandaue City.
The Housing and Urban Development Office (Hudo) met with the owners of the 21 houses on April 27, 2021, to advise them to vacate the area within 30 days.
Hudo head Tony Pet Juanico said before they met with the owners, they had measured the area that will be affected by the flood control project.
The City Planning and Development office and the City Engineering Office (CEO) have assessed the creek as part of the project plan.
Juanico said these owners requested Mandaue City Councilor Jun Arcilla, Committee on housing and infrastructure chairman, to extend their stay from 30 to 90 days.
Juanico said Arcilla and the CEO granted the owners 90 days to vacate the area.
He said the plans for the flood control project are to widen the creek before dredging it and then develop the easement to keep informal settlers from staying there again.
During the meeting, Juanico said they let the owners choose between relocation and financial assistance. He said the owners chose to be relocated.
Juanico said his office will try its best to give relocation sites to these house owners.
However, Juanico said in case they need to vacate the area soon for the project to begin, they will provide them with financial assistance or offer them the “Balik Probinsya” program of the city.
While waiting for the residents to vacate the area, Juanico said they will conduct the social preparation and relocation evaluation of these owners. (KFD)