Urban poor groups hit Pesina for ignoring their plight
Three urban poor organizations are calling for the resignation of the chair of the committee on urban poor of the Sangguniang Panlungsod for his inaction on the concerns of the urban poor communities.
The three associations, namely, Iloilo City Urban Poor Federation Inc; KABALAKA/Homeless Peoples Federation of the Philippines and Iloilo Federation of Community want Councilor Antonio Pesina to resign for not being responsive to the needs of the urban poor communities.
Iloilo City Urban Poor Federation Inc. president Benfred Tacuyan said Pesina has continuously ignored the needs of the association. He said, there were several occasions the group asked for his presence in different forums relative to the socialized housing issues and yet the councilor did not show up.
The two other peoples organization asking for Pesina's ouster are the KABALAKA/Homeless Peoples Federation of the Philippines Inc. led by Belen Peñaflor and Iloilo Federation of Community headed by Paterno Licuran. The three urban poor associations are under the umbrella of the Iloilo City Urban Poor Network (ICUPN). They have been working for several socialized housing projects since 2001.
Tacuyan lamented the uncooperative stance of Pesina on the proposal for the repayment scheme they have presented long ago to the committee on urban poor. The beneficiaries are already asking on the status of the homelots awarded to them by the city government.
When asked who among the 13 other members of the city council they want to replace Pesina, Tacuyan answered no one. None of the councilors have shown interest in pushing for the plans and objectives of the urban poor communities. "We want to institutionalize the existence of the urban poor groups," he said.
Nothing was heard of Pesina even at the height of Typhoon Frank. The urban poor sector was greatly affected by the flood. Tacuyan hinted that the councilor must have also expressed his concern on the fate of the urban poor communities in Iloilo City. "We are all disgusted of him."
Tacuyan said they have submitted volumes of documents to Pesina on the repayment scheme particularly on the relocation site in San Isidro, Lapaz; Bitoon, Jaro; and South Fundidor, Molo.
He said Pesina returned the documents as he needs to have it photocopied. The same voluminous documents also contained the technical description of the different relocation sites. The association along with the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO) processed the requirements such as the permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Housing Land Use and Regulatory Board (HLURB).
Tacuyan's statement contradicted with the statement earlier issued by Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo on the refusal of ICUPAO chair Rony Firmeza to apply for a subdivision plan. Last week, Majority Floor Leader Eduardo Peñaredondo lambasted Firmeza for his refusal to initiate the filing of the application for a subdivision plan. They are also asking for the masterlist of the beneficiaries in different relocation sites and on-site housing program of the city government.
The application for a subdivision plan is being deliberated and approved at the city council. The subdivision plan is a prerequisite in coming up with a geodetic survey. As such, the city council passed a resolution asking ICUPAO to apply for a subdivision plan.
The documents at hand are governed by laws on socialized housing. It is the council that failed to act on the request of the different urban poor communities. Until this time, the council has not acted on the repayment scheme provided to them, said Tacuyan.