Sustainable housing for the marginalized
Former residents of the Manggahan Floodway were successfully relocated in-city to avoid dangers of flood. —Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Socialized housing is often a difficult pursuit. There never seem to be enough homes that can accommodate and sustain the needs of the underprivileged.
Once in a while, some projects manage to overcome barriers and succeed. Despite initial challenges, there are those that managed to satisfy both the needs of the homeless and the surrounding community. These housing solutions deserve attention, and it is time we applaud the efforts of the people behind them.
Manggahan Floodway Housing in Pasig City
A project that took 10 years to push through, the Manggahan Floodway housing was realized through a united approach. A planning technique called People’s Plan was used to make sure that the houses would accommodate the needs of their intended users.
Through this process, the marginalized sector engages in the planning of their communities and dialogue with the city government.
New housing became imperative in 2009 due to the destruction wrought by Typhoon Ondoy. Destroying the existing homes along the floodway embankments, the original site was declared too dangerous to live in. Relocation was organized and enforced, but due to lack of jobs and quality homes, the residents eventually returned to the floodway.
The residents formed the Alliance of People’s Organization along Manggahan Floodway (APOAMF) to collectively raise their grievances to the government. With the help of NGOs Tao-Pilipinas and Co-Multiversity, the people armed themselves with technical knowledge and planned proposals prior to speaking with the government. Although coordination was initially difficult, the government listened to the argument of the people and proposed their own takes on the problem.
Through the government and the people’s efforts, idle land within the city was discovered and developed. The people were relocated to escape the danger of the river embankments, but the new home site remained close to their jobs and schools.
Funding was shouldered by both the city treasury and the people, with the latter committing to an affordable payment or rental scheme. Five-storey housing complexes were then built based on the determined needs of the residents and the established restrictions of the government.
It was a win-win situation for everyone.
Various housing projects in Quezon City
Once home to a recorded 236,000 families that belong to the marginalized sector (H. Bautista, Galing Pook Talk), Quezon City recognized its housing problem. To alleviate the housing backlog, the city government developed the City Shelter Plan which sought to “create slum-free communities, reduce urban blight and resettle the vulnerable poor out of danger areas.”
The city sought realistic ways to finance housing projects. Although met with some opposition, socialized housing tax was collected over a period of five years. Taxes were imposed as well on idle land in the city. The city earned, too, from the sale of the houses themselves.
Through partnerships with national government sectors and local community groups, the city built multiple housing units in various areas across its land. Examples include the Ernestville HOA project, which provided 12 two-storey buildings for the former Tullahan River settlers and the Bistekville complex, which provided 192 condominiums. Similar to Manggahan, the government prioritized in-city relocation, especially since Quezon City is blessed with a large land area.
Beyond house construction, the city ensured post-relocation maintenance. An estate management division was established to monitor payments and upkeep of the finished projects. Livelihood, scholarship and health programs were likewise offered to residents of the projects as incentives.
Because of the government’s efforts, the city managed to significantly bring down the numbers of the city’s marginalized group. There’s still a long way to go to fully attain its shelter goals, but it continues to deliver results and people are starting to notice.
To date, Quezon City has multiple local and international awards for its efforts to provide socialized housing. Despite its limitations, Quezon City has become a prototype for efficient government housing and sustainable community development.
Sustainable homes of Manicani Island, Eastern Samar
Sometimes, catastrophes allow us to start over and build better. Such is the case with the residents of Manicani Island in Guiuan, Easter Samar, when their homes were destroyed by Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013. Though storms were not new to the little island, the destruction left many people homeless.
With the help of eight different NGOs, the community focused on rebuilding their lives for the better. Beyond reconstructing their houses, they focused on developing their surroundings, too. Coastal resource management, renewable energy, water resources and communications, sustainable agriculture and other environmental aspects were considered in the new development.
Forty detached dwellings and four evacuation centers were built with assistance from foreign aid groups. The project focused on providing sustainable shelters that were also disaster-resilient, culturally sensitive and cost-effective. Beneficiaries were selected based on their necessity for permanent shelter, family situation, family income and danger of existing location.
Prototypes of the permanent houses were realized through a participatory design workshop by TAO-Pilipinas. The people hired their own contractors to build their new homes which were all supervised by two foremen. Those who could even added an extension to their homes after being oriented by NGOs.
After the project, the community and NGOs held a reflection session to discuss community insights. The project proves that the people can be capable of providing sustainable shelters for themselves.
Insights
Though we often hear negative news about socialized housing in the Philippines, these projects prove that there are successful efforts out there. As stated by foreign academics, “the Philippines do have the proper knowledge to build good construction sustainable to natural disasters (L. Olofsson and S. Truong, 2007).”
The challenge for us is to develop better coordination among the people. Specifically, the government and the marginalized sector need to be united in their efforts to provide and maintain affordable housing. The NGOs, private sectors and ordinary citizens also have to do their part in terms of financial assistance and community support.
Housing may be a global challenge, but it is not impossible to provide.
With our joint efforts, we can lessen the numbers of the marginalized sector slowly and surely. There is still hope for the Philippines. Let us continue to fight for its betterment.
Sources:
Leni Robredo Facebook Page; Patrickroque01 via Wikimedia Commons; https://hse.tao-pilipinas.org/; Sustainable Housing in Navotas, the Philippines, L. Olofsson and S.Truong Bachelor Thesis for Lunds Universitet, Sweden (2007); Galing Pook Talk: Quezon City Socialized Housing Program (video uploaded 2015); Community Presentations of the Manggahan Floodway Project
