Treñas: Gray areas in awarding of lots need to be resolved
City Mayor Jerry Treñas believes there are "gray areas" in the awarding of home lots in the city's resettlement projects. As such, he is determined to thresh out the differences between Councilor Antosnio Pesina and the urban poor groups under the Iloilo City Urban Poor Network.
Treñas said the issue on the selling of rights in the different relocation sites needs to be addressed. The conflict emanates when qualified awardees sell their rights over the home lots to unqualified beneficiaries. Worst, there are awardees who build a house on the lot and later sell it to another person.
The mayor said this modus of qualified awardees in selling their rights must be given emphasis. It is very clear that they should not sell their rights to other people.
The committee on urban poor, human rights and minority under Councilor Pesina must come up with a mechanism in dealing with the issues affecting the resettlement projects of the city, said Treñas.
Treñas also clarified that city hall employees could avail of lots from the relocation sites as long as they meet the requirements set to become recipients of the housing project.
Moreover, Treñas said the ability of some recipients to construct concrete houses from two to three-stories at the relocation sites should not be used as an issue against them. There are awardees whose sons and daughters were able to go abroad, he said.
The issue on certain recipients having been able to construct big houses in the relocation site was raised by Councilor Pesina in last week's regular session. He made mention the name of Benfred Tacuyan, president of the Iloilo City Urban Poor Federation Inc.
Tacuyan is one of the urban poor leaders who asked for Pesina's ouster as chair of the committee on urban poor. The two other urban poor leaders who joined the call are Belen Peñaflor, president of the KABALAKA/Homeless Peoples Federation of the Philippines Inc., and Paterno Licuran, president of the Iloilo Federation of Community.
The chief executive said he will find means for Councilor Pesina and the urban poor groups to solve the problem regarding the awarding of lots and same time come up with measures to stop all the problems at the relocation sites.