13 families relocated by Mayor Rivera

By IAN JOHN M. LAGARE

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (July 19, 2014) - Carmen Villarosa, 50, a former resident of Purok Matinabangon, Barangay Labangal, an area beside the Silway River, expressed her joy after she and her family were relocated to Promise Land Village at Barangay Mabuhay with the help of the local government led by the city mayor.

Due to the succeeding swelling of Silway River, City Mayor Ronnel Rivera ordered a mandatory relocation of residents living within the 10-meter "no residential zone" of the said area. This 10-meter no residential zone is from the main river to the riverbank where Purok Matinabangon is located.

The Villarosa family is among the13 families relocated to Promise Land on Wednesday (July 16).

The most recent flooding that struck the river was on June 30 which had scoured the foundations of Silway Bridge resulting into its one-day closure. Also, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRM) reported at least 20 families were affected during the flooding.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the standard "no residential zone" should be 25 meters away from the river, but has limited it to 10 meters after considering the plea of the residents of Purok Matinabangon.

In the case of Carmen, her family is among the 13 families that were identified by the City Housing and Land Management Office (CHLMO) and City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) that are living in the danger zone of the river.

Carmen is happy that she and her family are finally relocated here in Promise Land, knowing the dangers of living in the Silway riverbank.

"We lived there for 21 years already. We had experienced a lot of floods already and it really scared us," Carmen stated in vernacular.

"For many years, we have been requesting the local government of General Santos City to relocate us to a safer place, but it is only now, when Rivera is already the city mayor, that we have been finally relocated," Carmen divulged.

The Gawad Kalinga, a non-profit organization, has also helped in the relocation of the families. They have provided the materials for the construction of their new houses in Promise Land.

The Promise Land village is a government-owned relocation site that has the basic amenities that makes it conducive for living such as electricity, water system, and paved roads.  (GENSAN CPIO/ Ian John M. Lagare)