LUBAO—Different National Government Agencies and Local Government Units are now working together through a newly formulated council called Local Inter-Agency Committee (LIAC) which was launched last Wednesday.
LIAC was created to speed up the addressing relocation and housing issues in the province.
Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer (PSWDO) Elizabeth Baybayan disclosed details with regards to the participation of the Provincial Government of Pampanga with LIAC.
“The departments of the Provincial Government involved in LIAC are trying the best we can to have something done as soon as possible, especially now that the rainy season is coming”
“The project aims to prioritize those people who reside along water ways, coastal areas and creek and river sides and relocate them somewhere safer and to determine the possible locations where we can put up our permanent evacuation centers,” Baybayan said.
LIAC, as a result of the collaboration of the National and Local Government, is composed of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council which is spearheaded by Vice President Jejomar Binay, the National Housing Authority, Department of Local and Interior Government, National Labor Relations Commission, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, Commission on Human Rights, Provincial and Municipal departments, barangay affairs and private sector groups.
According to PSWDO, this framework also needs to create sub-committees that will focus on the detailed aspects of LIAC such as planning, social preparation, site preparation, security, beneficiary selection and many more.
“As the chairman of LIAC, Governor Pineda is giving her full support in order to give decent houses to the urban poor of Pampanga,” added Baybayan.
In connection with this, the Governor Lilia Pineda with PSWDO and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction inspected a total of 200 hectares of land in Sasmuan and Macabebe that the Capitol is eyeing to establish the resettlement for the informal settlers and permanent evacuation centers in the area.
Moreover, LIAC recently started the preliminary preparations for the resettlement and housing project in Magalang town and will soon grant lot titles to the beneficiaries, according to Jill Matienzo of PSWDO.
By: BEA JEANNEL A. DELOS REYES
