1,000 HOMES ON JESUIT LAND
COTABATO CITY, JANUARY 2, 2012 (STAR) (PHOTO -
Maguindanaons build statue for Sultan Kudarat)
By John Unson The Philippine Star Updated January 02, 2012 12:00
AM - Sultan Kudarat's monument stands at the foot of Kuta Wato hill (from where
Cotabato was derived), the known springboard of Moro resistance against the
Spaniards which he led.
It was more than 50 years since the creation of this city, but it
was only last year when a shrine was built in memory of 16th century Moro
warrior Sultan Kudarat at memorial in 2011.
Local residents will remember 2011 as the year where a monument of the
legendary 16th century Moro warrior Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat was built at the
foot of mythical Tantawan hilltop enclave here he called "Kuta Wato" from where
the geographical identity this city was derived.
Cotabato City became a chartered city more than 50 years ago and Tantawan,
which contextually means observation post in the Maguindanaon vernacular, is
located not far from the banks of the once navigable Rio Grande de Mindanao.
Rio Grande was an ancient shipping route invading Spaniards and Chinese
merchants used to reach trading centers upstream in the raya area, or upper
delta of Maguindanao province.
Sultan Kudarat's statue now stands proud and mighty right at what was once
the doorstep of his lair, now called Pedro Colina Hill, a military reservation
that once hosted the seat of the former Empire Province of Cotabato, whose
coverage spans from what are now called the South Cotabato-Sarangani-Gen. Santos
City (Socsargen) area.
The newly-inaugurated monument of Sultan Kudarat (1581–1671) was constructed
by the city government with the help of benefactors, among them a local
association of architects and engineers.
Sultan Kudarat's statue was first erected about five years ago at a less
noticeable spot in the city plaza, at the opposite direction of Corcuera Street
– named after Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, Spain's appointed governor in the
Philippines from June 25, 1635 to August 11, 1644.
Maguindanaon historians said Corcuera had, at first, dispatched a dozen
expeditions to defeat Sultan Kudarat and his army of mixed Maranaw, Iranon, and
Maranaw fighters backed by ethnic non-Muslim tribesmen but failed.
A devout Muslim who was said to have prayed five times a day facing the
direction of Mecca, Saudi Arabia when he was still alive, Sultan Kudarat, after
having fought the Spaniards in one bloody battle after another in Central
Mindanao, the coasts of what are now Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and
Zamboanga del Sur, Pagadian City, the Zamboanga Peninsula, and the island
province of Basilan, agreed to a mutual non-aggression treaty with the
Spaniards, which enjoined both sides to respect each other's political and
religious statures, and not fight over territories and control of Mindanao's
Moro inhabitants.
The treaty was said to have ushered in socio-economic and political
prosperity in Sultan Kudarat's royal principality, something contemporary
Maguindanaon historians and peace activist assert as one of the most concrete
proofs to assertions that Moro nationhood has been existing in Southern Mindanao
even before renowned sailor Ferdinand Magellan arrived in Limasawa and,
subsequently, landed on Mactan, in 1521.
Among the descendants of Sultan Kudarat now active in politics are Esmael
Mangudadatu and Dustin Mastura, the incumbent governor and vice governor of
Maguindanao, respectively.
Apart from Sultan Kudarat town in the first district of Maguindanao, there is
also now a Sultan Kudarat province in Central Mindanao, whose governor, Suharto
Mangudadatu, is himself a scion of the Sultan's continuously expanding
genealogy.
FROM INQUIRER.NET
Red Cross to build 1,000 homes on Jesuit land By
Jeannette I. Andrade in Manila and Ryan D. Rosauro Inquirer Mindanao
[PHOTO - INNOCENTS ABOARD: Children who survived the deadly flash
floods play in their temporary relocation site in Iligan City. Close to half a
million people in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro have been displaced by
Tropical Storm "Sendong" that killed over 1,200 people in Northern
Mindanao.]
The new year is expected to bring hope and new homes to some 1,000 families
displaced by Tropical Storm "Sendong," with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC)
offering them the opportunity to literally rebuild their lives.
"It will be a family to a house which they themselves will help build," PRC
secretary general Gwendolyn Pang said Saturday. The evacuees need not spend for
their new homes which are expected to rise in six months.
On Thursday, PRC chairman Richard Gordon and Xavier University chairman
Elpidio Paras led the groundbreaking rites at the resettlement site. Gordon said
it was the first partnership between the private sector and the PRC in building
homes for families displaced by Sendong.
Gordon said the Red Cross would build 1,000 shelters, initially, as soon as
the land was ready with basic services and provision for livelihood.
Pang pointed out that each single detached house, with an area of 24 square
meters, would sit on a 40-to 50-sq. m lot on a 5-hectare property in Barangay
(village) Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro, donated under usufruct rights by the
Jesuit-owned Xavier University.
Usufruct is the legal right granted to a person or entity to use and derive
profit or benefit from a property that either belongs to another person or which
is under common ownership, as long as the property is not damaged or destroyed.
Ownership after 15 years
"They (evacuees) do not have to pay to live in those homes. They only have to
pay for utilities like water and electricity," Pang told the Philippine Daily
Inquirer.
The PRC secretary general said that although the property would still be
owned by Xavier University, ownership could be transferred to the house dweller
after 15 years of occupying the lot.
"Families would be provided basic materials for constructing the houses but
it would be up to them how they would want their homes to look," she said.
Evacuees are currently staying in 20-sq. m tents on the property donated by
the university.
Livelihood programs will be introduced to the community after the families
have settled. "If they want to, they could create an association among
homeowners and get fees from members so they could maintain their community,"
Pang said.
Temporary tents
Conrad Navidad, shelter cluster facilitator at the department of social
welfare's command center in Xavier University, said tents had been erected since
yesterday at the relocation site in Barangay Lumbia.
For now, some 350 families can be accommodated in the relocation site. The
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the city government will
choose the families who will be allowed to stay there. The families who are
staying in public schools, as well those in danger zones like Isla de Oro and
Barangay Cala-Cala will be given priority.
But Navidad said only 2 ha of the Xavier University-donated land would be
allowed for occupancy for now. "The evacuees will not be forced to settle there
if they do not wish to do so," he said.
This week, the evacuees will be brought to the area for a "go-and-see" visit.
Other relocation sites
Apart from the 1,000 beneficiaries of the PRC's housing project, Cagayan de
Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez said the construction of houses for
Sendong victims on a four-hectare lot in Barangay Gusa and on a 10-hectare area
in Barangay Indahag might be finished in February.
Relocation sites for those who previously lived on the west bank of the
Cagayan River have also been identified in Barangays Lumbia and Calaanan,
Rodriguez said.
The city has also allocated nine hectares of property in Barangay Calaanan
for the relocation of typhoon victims, Cagayan de Oro Councilor Nadya Emano
said.
The property, she said, was part of the 64 ha that the city government bought
in 1996 for its resettlement program.
Emano said a Filipino-Chinese businessman, who wished to remain anonymous,
offered to bankroll the building—initially—of 300 houses in Calaanan for Sendong
victims. The businessman has offered to build about 1,000 houses on the
property, she said.
Iligan housing
In Iligan City, Teresita Ragasajo, 71, whose family lost their house and
minigrocery store from the flood brought by Sendong, said they have enough food
and clothing assistance. "What we need is a house so we can start a new life,"
she said.
With her husband still missing, she hopes to rebuild their livelihood along
with the only child who stays with her who is also searching for a missing
husband and daughter.
Ragasajo dreads the thought of going back to Bayug Island where she raised
five children with husband Arcenio since 1959.
Santa Elena village
At the start of the year, the local government hopes to address the housing
needs of the evacuees. Underway is the building of a 15-ha subdivision in Santa
Elena village where some of the flood evacuees will be resettled.
The land is owned by National Steel Corp. (NSC), which is under receivership.
The local government hopes to acquire the land through a "dacion en pago"
arrangement to settle some of NSC's outstanding tax liabilities.
On Thursday, a team of geologists from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau said
the site was suitable for housing because it was free from geohazards.
On Friday, the local government's Housing and Resettlement Office convened a
team of design engineers and architects to come up with a subdivision plan.
City information officer Melvin Anggot said the subdivision plan was expected
to be completed within a week, along with other legal requisites like the
housing and land-use clearance and Philippine Coconut Authority clearance to cut
coconut trees in the covered area.
Permanent solution sought
Earlier, Mayor Lawrence Cruz said any relocation effort must be "a permanent
solution" to the housing needs of the evacuees.
The resettlement plan will be based on the core shelter standards set by the
DSWD—a house with a floor area of 60 sq. m on 80-sq. m lot. The DSWD funding
assistance is based on a cost of P70,000 per housing unit. For each unit, the
Iligan local government will provide an additional P30,000 "to ensure these
would come out decent," said Anggot.
Several groups like Gawad Kalinga, Habitat for Humanity and EcoWeb have been
identified as possible partners in building the houses. EcoWeb has started
producing lumber out of the "killer logs" along the Iligan coast.
UP geohazard map
Anggot said the results of a geohazard mapping done by the University of the
Philippines' National Institute for Geological Sciences would guide the local
government in declaring areas as "no-go zones" for settlements.
Those who were left homeless by the flood and come from these geologically
hazardous areas will be prevented from settling back there and would be told to
resettle, Anggot added.
Hit hard by the flood were the villages of Santa Felomina, Upper Hinaplanon,
Hinaplanon Proper and Santiago.
Anggot said families whose houses were "totally washed out" and who used to
live in geohazardous areas would be the priority for relocation.
Apart from the Santa Elena land, the local government is considering other
relocation sites, such as a 2-ha lot in Santa Felomina village and an 8-ha
property owned by NSC in Suarez village.
As of December 29, the City Social Welfare and Development Office counted
4,385 "totally damaged" houses in 28 barangays as a result of the flood. About
10,817 more houses were "partially damaged."
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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