Got a tip? Send it to us at manila@coconuts.co.
Yes, there are still informal settlers in Makati City, but only on private lands, according to Makati Rep. Abigail Binay.During the “Yes or No” segment of ABS-CBN’s Bandila on Thu evening, Sep 17.
Binay answered in the affirmative when asked if there are still informal settlers in the city. She, however, stressed the need to make a distinction between informal settlers occupying government-owned lands and those staying on private lands.
“Meron, sa pribadong lupa,” she said. “You have to distinguish between an informal settler within sa mga kalye, sa ilalim ng mga tulay. May informal settler na nasa pribadong lupa.”
She said government cannot relocate those living on privately-owned lands.
“Kasi pag pribado hindi mo pwedeng paalisin, hindi pwedeng pondohan ng government yung pagpapa-relocate sa kanila. Kasi kailangan yung mayari ng lupa ang magre-relocate at magpapalipat sa kanila,” she said.
Her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, on Tuesday conceded that they may be around 3 to 5% informal settlers in Makati.
This, after a student of the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños asked him during a forum why there were still a lot of informal settlers in Makati despite his claim that the city had solved the informal settler problem under his leadership.
Instead of answering the question, Binay initially asked the student where he was from, to which the student answered he was from Mandaluyong.
“Yun… Ituro mo sa akin nasaan ang informal settler,” Binay then challenged the student.
The student then replied: “Hanapin niyo na lang po, Sir. ‘Di niyo pa po siguro nakikita.”
The Vice President later admitted about 3 to 5% of Makati residents are informal settlers.
“Eh di meron pa rin po. Sabi niyo po wala eh,” the student quipped, eliciting cheers from the audience.
But Binay replied: “Siguro yung 3% pwede mo na sabihin wala.”
Text: Kathlyn dela Cruz, ABS-CBNnews.com
Photo: News clip
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
