Nearly 100 families have been given new townhouse-type houses in Baseco, Manila, called BaseCommunity.
Some families have just moved into the area this week, and they are happy that they now have proper housing.
They also live in the area that burned last year. The local government has decided to turn it into a housing project instead of restoring the informal settler community.
There are 226 townhouse units in the area, measuring 42 square meters. It has two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen, a service area and a bathroom.
The unit is two stories, and the road around is also wide.
According to residents, they are just the first batch. They will pay P2,000 to P3,000 monthly for 25 to 50 years.
They cannot sell the unit based on the contract they signed.
Some residents already moved into housing in Baseco
Just over 90 units in BaseCommunity are occupied.
The high-rise Tondominium 1 and 2 are also expected to be completed by the end of the year, while more condominium units in San Lazaro, San Sebastian, and Pedro Gil are also in the planning stages.
“Mababawasan na ang pangamba ng tatay at nanay nyo. Nangangamba sila na ‘yung bahay nila na barong barong ay nakatusok pa o hindi. Magkakaron kayo ng kapanatagan sa panirahan (Your parents will worry less if their houses are still standing. You will now have peace of mind),” Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said in his speech.
Mayor Isko asked the beneficiaries to take care of their properties.
“Alagaan ninyo ito. Hindi araw araw Pasko. ‘Wag ninyo bababuyin. ‘Di baleng maging mahirap tayo, ‘wag lang tayo maging dugyot (Take care of this. Christmas doesn’t happen every day. Keep it clean. It is okay to be poor, but we should not be filthy),” he said.
According to the statistics office, about 4.5 million people are homeless or living in informal settlements in the Philippines, with a population of about 106 million. About 3 million of them are in Metro Manila, possibly the most in any urban area in the world, charities estimate.
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