Cagayan de Oro’s challenge

PHILIPPINES’ population has grown to 92.3 million from the latest census of the National Statistics Office in 2010.
Cagayan de Oro contributed 602,088 to the total population figures with an increase of 15.31% from the 2007 census.

Current statistics reflect that almost half of the city populations that live in the urban center of our city come from Carmen district as the fastest growth area.
With a city population expected to grow closer to the 1 million mark in the next 5 years, the danger of informal settlers growing the same rate with the city population cannot be discounted.
The latest census for Manila 2 years ago has a population of 16 million. According to the Asian Development Bank report in 2010, the Manila informal settler’s ratio is “showing an increasing pattern with the other urban cities of the Philippines”.

It shows little indication of changing over the years. Government has acknowledged that the influx of migration and shortage of housing contributed to this factor.
Fastest growing cities carry the burden of informal settlers growing nearly the same rate as that of the cities themselves. Politicians have shifted the nomenclature of “squatters” to informal settlers as a paradigm shift to get government attention to fund housing and social services to upgrade these strata in our society.
While at the same time, this is a segment identified as attractive market for politicians, to buy huge number of votes during elections at a discounted price. Informal settlers are proven swing votes for politicians.
Manila which is one of the world’s most populated city with 11 million people in 1998 and about 35% of the household which falls under the informal settler’s classification delivered the highest votes for Joseph Estrada during that year national election over his next closes rival.

Estrada, a rich scion of landed parents succeeded in projecting himself as pro poor from his roles in the movies.
Informal settlers have branch out with a voice to become urban poor. It has produced political clout through the Party List system and now has a voice allied with the other progressive block in Congress.
These agrupations are branded as bane to property owners and developers which are contesting unutilized titled lands over their prolonged unauthorized used.
Government right of ways for infrastructures often runs in conflict with this sector when demolitions are ruled.
Budget allocated for right of ways are even competing with other cost overruns to cover settlement for relocations.

Relocating these informal settlers to government land has not been drawing success.
Since the early 80’s, Imelda Marcos as Minister for Human Settlement has been hauling “squatters” from Taguig, Rizal to give way for the Food Terminal Market of the Marcos “ Kadiwa” Projects to the relocation sites along Paliparan in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

After a month, the settlers are back in Taguig to where their livelihood of selling Tapang Bangus or Banana cue thrives. The relocated informal settlers of Paliparan in Cavite has sold their lands to the big time developers where now rows of affluent Mansion Houses owned by Customs Officials stands.
The other side of the road is an SM Mall and soon a SLEX road operated by San Miguel Corporation will connect the adjoining Paliparan to Daanghari as a Cavite, diversion road to Laguna and into Southern Luzon.

If our memory serves us good, we know that express ways makes land prices quadruple. Remember the C-5 Road which embroiled the popular Sen. Manny Villar and caused his presidential ambition to falter?
Many local governments administering urban cities are challenged with 3 fronts. It is of common knowledge that these problems are recurring even in our city and the solutions falls on actions rather than rhetoric politics.

1. Housing backlogs. We are running out of lands to relocate informal settlers who must be taken out from the side streets and those living top of esteros and stream tributaries.
2. Poorly managed urban cities drains and put to waste government budgets. Officials become Lame ducks when unable to act or prioritize social and infrastructures services like Barangay roads, school buildings and health centers. Taking initiatives leads to poverty alleviations’.
3. Environmental protection policies for sustainability such as protecting forests reserves and water sheds as sources of drinking water or for power generations and food production.
These are the basic issue that needs to be addressed should someone aspire to become a local executive in our city. Conquer this triangle and they will have a fluid offense to win the people’s confidence.

Ped T. Quiamjot is one of the brilliant columnists of a local newspaper in Cagayan de Oro City and currently the General Manager of Pryce Plaza Hotel Cagayan de Oro. His column talks on various issues and concerns affecting the business sector and tourism industry.