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The Bacolod City Government’s on-site development program for informal
settlers has already benefited 2,229 families, reports from the Bacolod
Housing Authority showed.
Aside from the ongoing relocation program for informal
settlers, the city government also set a community mortgage program and
the direct purchase scheme, through City Ordinance 249 and Resolution
No. 534, where informal settlers will have the chance to own the lot
where their houses stand.
The Community Mortage Program (CMP) is an innovative
concept of low-income home financing in which an undivided tract of land
may be acquired by several beneficiaries through community ownership.
The Bacolod Housing Authority implements this type of program to
qualified community associations. To date, at least 44 homeowners’
associations have been organized and have access to the program.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia earlier said that while the
on-site development program is on a case-to-case basis, the city
government is strongly committed to develop the relocation sites for
informal settlers as development will definitely spur economic growth in
these areas.
He also said that the decision to acquire lands for the
city’s land banking project will ensure that within the next two to
three years, the city government will be able to accommodate informal
settlers who are facing ejection cases in court and those who are living
in danger zones. He also said that investing in a relocation site will
give way to properties vacated by the informal settlers to be developed
into income-generating assets like businesses that will create jobs for
the people.
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