Resident: The city should give us aid immediately

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

With the demolition of an informal settlement near a riverbank beside the San Antonio Abad Parish Church, located along Lacson Extension in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City, back underway, several residents said they are expecting financial assistance from the Bacolod City government.

Residents, including Gina Figueroa, claimed they are supposed to be receiving assistance, but are being requested to complete documentation for the Office of the Mayor.

“The city should have given the financial aid to us immediately,” she stated.

The informal settler also called the required documentation “too difficult.”

Mercidita Arroyo, another resident of the informal settlement, said the demolition has forced residents to take shelter under a nearby bridge.

In earlier reports, she also claimed to be expecting assistance from the city government.

The city has set aside a relocation site at the Progreso Village, part of the Arao property in Barangay Vista Alegre; however. Figueroa claims she is still waiting for a land title.

Despite their pleas for more time, the informal settlers have been receiving notices to vacate since 2013, with the area being tagged a “danger zone” due to frequent flooding and expected to be part of a road widening project./DGB, WDJ