(Photo by DSWD)
MANILA — Forty-nine families who had been living in a tunnel beneath Osmeña Highway in Malate, Manila have moved into new homes at the St. Ildephonsus Resettlement Village in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, under a government relocation program.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian led the turnover ceremony Wednesday, where the first batch of beneficiary families received Certificates of Eligibility for Lot Allocation from the National Housing Authority.
The families were among 84 households identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pag-Abot Program in a tunnel beneath Osmeña Highway in Barangays 738 and 800.
Gatchalian said the relocation was intended to move the families away from unsafe living conditions and provide them with more secure housing.
“Today is about more than just material objects — this is the day we change their lives,” Gatchalian said.
The relocation was jointly undertaken by the DSWD, NHA and the Manila city government. Social workers and local government personnel conducted a census and social preparation activities before the transfer.
While 49 families have received housing units, the remaining households were provided transition housing allowances or rental assistance while their permanent homes are being completed.
The DSWD said assistance would continue after the relocation. Each beneficiary family is set to receive Php 10,000 in cash assistance, while livelihood support will be provided through the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program.
DSWD Central Luzon Regional Director Venus Rebuldela said social workers would continue monitoring the families and provide interventions to help them establish sustainable sources of income in their new community.
Among those who moved into a new home was Lourdes Quitara, whose family had lived in Malate since the 1980s.
“In my entire life, this is the very first time I’ve owned a house. I am so happy,” Quitara said.
The DSWD said the relocation forms part of its Pag-Abot Program, which reaches out to individuals and families living in vulnerable situations and connects them with appropriate government services.
