The Bacolod City government is pushing for the donation of a 7,787-square-meter lot in Barangay 27, previously under a defunct United States agency, to build permanent housing for nearly 1,000 residents displaced by a fire on Sept. 12.
Currently, 289 families from Purok Cheriza are staying at the Apolinario Mabini Elementary School evacuation center.
Mayor Greg Gasataya said they already obtained the land’s transfer certificate of title, which is under the Philippine Alien Property Administration, an agency dissolved in 1951.
“Hopefully, the national government will donate this land to the city so we can set up a housing program for the residents, some of whom have been living there for 50, 40 years already,” he said.
Gasataya added that once the property is donated, pathways would be built within the site for safety.
The city is also offering relocation site options for families willing to transfer.
“If you want to transfer to the relocation site, the city will then provide you with what you need,” the mayor said.