Pasay City – After many years of living dangerously along the Tripa de Gallina creek in this city, Gildo Cajuntoy and his family will now have their own home, safe from floods and fires common in informal settlements.

The Cajuntoy Family is one of the 98 informal settler- families (ISFs) from Brgy. 156, Tripa de Gallina, Pasay  who was  awarded with a new  housing unit on Friday, July 25, through the government’s Oplan Lumikas para Iwas Kalamidad At Sakit (LIKAS) project.

The Cajuntoys and the other families were relocated to safer homes in Trece Martires, Cavite.

Oplan LIKAS, spearheaded by the Department of the Interior and Local Government Unit (DILG), resettles ISFs residing on top of or within the three-meter easement of a waterway.

The goal is to relocate families in danger and high risk zones to safe and humane housing close to their sources of livelihood and also to lessen flooding in Metro Manila.

Called “Voluntary Pre-Emptive Evacuation” by DILG, the project is supported by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Public Works and Highways ( DPWH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), National Housing Authority (NHA), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), and local government units (LGUs).

Brgy. 156, located along the 920-meter long Tripa de Gallina creek,  was identified by the LGU as one of the city’s 42 danger zones. The soil in the area was becoming loose and houses were starting to lean.

DENR was in charge of the demarcation of the area while DPWH, MMDA, and Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) dismantled the structures.

The Relocation Action Center was bustling with activity as the 98 ISFs lined up to get their documents evaluated. They received an entry pass from NHA and Resettlement and Development Services Department, food assistance from the LGU, a medical kit from DOH, the P18,000 Interim Shelter Fund from DSWD. Their biometrics were also processed by MMDA and DSWD.

Present in the event were DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas III, NHA General Manager Chito Cruz, DSWD Assistant Secretary Javier Jimenez,  Mayor Tony Calixto,  Representative Emi Calixto-Rubiano, and barangay officials.

Mayor Calixto, Rep. Calixto-Rubiano, and Brgy 156 Chairman Serrano all expressed their gratitude for the project.

They emphasized that the participation of their constituents was crucial in making the project a success.

Rep. Calixto-Rubiano also mentioned that President Benigno S. Aquino expressed his concern for the safety of the residents of the city especially for those living along the city waterways who are always in danger during typhoons and storms.

Assec. Jimenez said that more than 1,000 families here have already received financial assistance from DSWD since the project began last year.

According to  Sec. Roxas, this was clear proof that the Aquino administration was fulfilling its promises.

“Sa ilalim ng pamahalaan ni Pangulong Aquino, maari nang muling mangarap. Ngayong gabi, halos 100 pamilya ang makakatulog nang mahimbing, malayo sa kapahamakan  (Under the administration of President Aquino, it is now possible to dream. Tonight, almost 100 families will be able to sleep soundly, far from danger),” Sec. Roxas said.

Headed by Sec. Roxas, the officials then proceeded to inspect the voluntary dismantling of houses by the ISFs.

Afterwards, the families bid goodbye as they travelled in vans to Cavite, carrying their belongings to a new way of life.

Cajuntoy said that after so many years of suffering in their homes – always fearful of fires, storms, and floods – they would now get to live in a place they can call their own.

“Ngayon, mayroon na kaming minimithing tirahan. May maipapamana na po kami sa aming mga anak (We now own our dream house. Finally, we have something to pass down to our children),” Cajuntoy stated. ###