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AMDG

Mehriell Ang (3)

Aivanne dela Vega (16)

12 - Ogilvie

Position Paper on Roads For a Cause: A Solution to the

Disposition of Informal Settlers in Metro Manila

The paper “Roads For a Cause: A Solution to the Disposition of Informal Settlers in

Metro Manila” informs about informal settlers in Metro Manila. It explores the intricacies of

the perennial problem of housing in developing cities, and how solutions attempted in the past,

such as off-city housing, have not been effective. An alternative solution proposed is

developing the land along Circumferential Road 6 (C6) and other national highways into

residential housing for informal settlers. The paper also presents the importance of developing

an improved transport system, along with more roads and highways, to connect the cities to

surrounding areas. Lastly, the paper states that the government should focus on building

schools and hospitals, inviting privatization in relocation areas, and arrange more research on

this issue (Basal and Garing). While the paper proposes an effective solution on the immensely

complicated issue of the disposition of informal settlers, it fails to take into account public

backlash and social feasibility.

There are several reasons why these solutions could provide positive results. Firstly,

the use of underutilized land near national roads could be economically feasible (Leviste).

There are several listings on Lamundi, a real estate website based in the Philippines, that sells

land along C6 in Taguig for P100,000 per square meter. The average price of land in Taguig is

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double that at P200,00 per square meter (Lamundi). Taguig is also fairly close to job

opportunities, increasing the possibility that informal settlers will choose to keep, rather than

give away, their access to government housing. However, this does not encompass the whole

population of informal settlers. Quezon City has a number of informal settlers near EDSA and

Batasan Hills (Sicat) and is home to a large number of informal settler communities. C6 and

many other highways are not accessible to those who have established a life in already densely

populated areas far from Taguig. Nevertheless, the idea of renewed economic growth and

appeal to live along newly built government housing along C6 and other highways is possible,

allowing for less informal settlers in overpopulated cities, and more in newer financial districts

(Leviste). Building new financial districts could indeed mitigate informal settlers, as

‘clustering’ of economic activity beyond the capital benefit workers (Limkin).

Secondly, the paper is correct in that transportation is an integral aspect of the informal

settling problem. According to Punongbayan, lowering the cost of commute would increase

the attractiveness of living away from the city center. Building better roads and more accessible

public transportation could not only lead informal settlers away from the city, but it would also

improve national economic growth (Limkin). The problem isn't just housing, poverty, or

urbanization, it’s also transportation. The recent transportation crisis only proves the

importance of transportation to the workforce at large and the urgency of the matter to the

Filipino public.

Lastly, the proposals given take into account some of the reasons why informal settlers

choose to not rent. These solutions make use of design thinking in which the informal settlers

have something to benefit from. By building government housing near the cities, it still gives

them a chance to take up accessible jobs, while the government can mitigate the risks of

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unprotected housing. The proposal to research more also benefits the cause greatly. There

doesn't seem to be a comprehensive profile of an informal settler in the NCR. It’s difficult to

determine the best possible way to placate the population of informal settlers without

information on their jobs, location preference, and demographics. Additional research is a step

in the right direction in deciding more personalized solutions for each city in Metro Manila.

However, while the paper discusses a number of valid points, it also fails to take into

account other factors that could lead to the difficult execution of the solution. One factor that

the paper fails to take into account is gentrification. As the city center expands, private

developers would eventually reach informal settlers’ communities, driving them out. The poor

will almost always be displaced as long as their place of accommodation holds economic value

to private enterprises (Roberto and dela Cruz). Even if the government decides to build in-city

housing, it will most likely not last because of the growing culture of gentrification in Metro

Manila (Ortega). Another factor that the paper fails to consider is the prevalence of corruption

(Mourdoukoutas). Many reported projects for the housing of informal settlers have ended up

unsuccessful and have instead led to lost money and the demolition of some squatting areas

(Guttierez).

Metro Manila informal settlers have been a constant unsolvable issue for decades now.

Being forced to live in harsh conditions and locations not fit for any form of construction, the

urban poor have continued to suffer in the country. (FSU) Having to live under these

circumstances has lead to even more problems for the government such as the safety of the

inhabitants when natural disasters strike and the economic drawback due to the occupied land.

This issue is pressing, not only to the Philippines but also to many other developing nations.

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Although it’s a global race for solutions, there doesn't seem to be a true concrete path to better

housing in highly urbanized cities (Nassar).

Despite the possible drawbacks it can face, this solution is one of the few viable ways

out of the crisis of housing in Metro Manila. Not only is it financially feasible to execute, this

also aims to mitigate problems in other sectors of society such as transportation. More

importantly, it treats the informal settlers as human beings. Informal settlers are the product of

numerous other issues, such as poor urban planning, inadequate public transportation, and

poverty. While execution might be difficult, solutions that take into account the needs of the

people make the paper’s solution more humanitarian than many proposed solutions that treat

the settlers themselves as the problem. Not only is this proposed solution morally upright, it

also gives the cities a way forward.

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 Resources

ABS - CBN. “ Meant to fail: Gov't to blame for sorry state of housing projects - Ridon.”

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/20/17/meant-to-fail-govt-to-blame-for-sorry-state-

of-housing-projects-ridon.

Forbes. “Corruption Is Still A Big Problem In The Philippines.” https://

www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2018/02/21/the-philippines-is-

getting-more-corrupt-under-duterte/#21602ae0256a.

INQUIRER.net. “Simple Solution to Squatter Problem.” Inquirer Opinion Simple Solution

to Squatter Problem Comments, https://opinion.inquirer.net/57699/simple-solution-to-

squatter-problem.

“Land for Sale in Taguig.” Lamudi, https://www.lamudi.com.ph/trends/taguig/land/buy.

Land For Sale With Title! 13 Hectares Along C6 Road, Taguig City,

https://www.lamudi.com.ph/land-for-sale-with-title-13-hectares-along-c6-road-taguig-

city.html.

Limkin, Joseph Louie, and World Bank. “Why the Philippines Needs Transport Reform.”

World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/01/why-the-

philippines-needs-transport-reform/.

Nassar, Dina Mamdouh, and Hanan Gamil Elsayed. “From Informal Settlements to

Sustainable Communities.” Alexandria Engineering Journal, vol. 57, no. 4, 2018, pp.

2367–2376., doi:10.1016/j.aej.2017.09.004.

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 “Nowhere to Go: Displacement of the Filipino Poor.” The GUIDON, 10 Mar. 2019,

http://www.theguidon.com/1112/main/2019/03/nowhere-go-displacement-filipino-

poor/.

Ortega, Arnisson Andre C. “Manila’s Metropolitan Landscape of Gentrification: Global

Urban Development, Accumulation by Dispossession & Neoliberal Warfare against

Informality.” Geoforum, vol. 70, 2016, pp. 35–50.,

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2016.02.002.

“Urban Squatting.” Philstar.com,

https://www.philstar.com/business/2017/11/28/1763382/urban-squatting.