Bolilao residents start moving to relocation site
Residents living along the Bolilao Creek in Mandurriao district have learned to appreciate the offer of the city government for a relocation site at the San Isidro, Jaro as 25 families already transferred to the site.
Bolilao Barangay Captain Nenita Joson said 25 families moved to the relocation site and seven others are set to transfer as soon as the weather condition improves. Families from Sitio Sooc and Dike 2 already transferred to the relocation site a few months back.
Joson added the residents who transferred to the San Isidro relocation site either built their own houses or were given housing units through the Gawad Kalinga donations.
She said, earlier eight of the affected families questioned the offer made by the city government. They refused to apply for a slot at the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO). Now, they want to avail of the offer.
Joson said they are assisting the families who want to transfer to the relocation site. They have seen how the city government addresses the needs of the relocatees at the relocation site.
Barangay Bolilao is only one of the barangays affected by the impending P50 million Dungon Creek dredging. Hundreds of families living along the creeks are affected by the dredging. Most of the affected residents refused to vacate the creek stressing they do not have livelihood at the relocation site.
It is in Bolilao where the dredging started but was stopped after the contractor of the dredging project destroyed the mangroves along the riverbank of Sitio Sooc. The dredging operation has yet to resume after more than two weeks since it first started.