The University of the Philippines (UP) on Friday said construction of its ‘low-cost’ rental housing project will begin later this yr despite residents’ concerns over displacement and demolition.
“The University has a legal duty to guard and utilize its land for the UP community,” the tutorial institution said in a press release.
“UP can’t turn a blind eye to the substandard living conditions in its own backyard – it’s morally certain to assist its most vulnerable community members,” it added.
Tensions sparked at Pook Malantic in Barangay UP Campus, UP Diliman, on Wednesday after residents formed a human barricade out of fear of demolition, stopping a non-public truck and security personnel from entering the community.
The university clarified that no house demolitions were ordered that day and that it intended only to fence the perimeter of the on-site transition housing area.
“UP is indisputably the owner of the land on which rental housing will probably be provided to UP staff and ISF (informal settler families),” the institution said. “The courts have affirmed repeatedly that UP owns the land in its Diliman campus.”
UP can also be committed to providing ‘secure’ and ‘dignified’ shelter to not less than 26 ISFs who could also be affected by the development of its housing project. “With on-site relocation, no ISFs will probably be displaced from their community,” it added.
The UP Southern Diliman Gardens Rental Housing Project is a socialized rental housing project under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program. It’s one in every of the flagship housing components envisioned for the UP Sustainable Development Goals Park.
The project comprises eight walk-up buildings totaling about 1,000 housing units, each measuring 27 square meters. It targets construction completion in 2027.
The rental housing initiative will probably be undertaken by Megawide Construction, the contractor for the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
“UP’s rental housing initiative is specifically designed to offer reasonably priced, decent, secure, and accessible shelter for UP staff and ISFs,” the university said. “Protecting them from displacement or exploitation by individuals or groups falsely claiming ownership of or control over UP land.”
“Beyond housing, UP has committed to providing livelihood training and support, sustainable communal urban farming, education and university readiness programs, and other initiatives for the welfare of community members,” it added.
UP earlier unveiled the model unit for its pilot rental housing project that is anticipated to learn over 3,000 individuals. Aside from the Diliman campus, DHSUD can also be implementing a rental housing project for UP-Los Baños. — Almira Louise S. Martinez