TAMPEI Organized Site Development Workshop for RVHOA Members

ILOILO CITY (April 17, 2011) –A Site Development workshop on open space planning was organized by the Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment, Inc. (TAMPEI) for the members of Riverview Homeowners’ Association (RVHOA) in San Isidro Relocation Site in Jaro, Iloilo City. The main reasons for organizing the aforementioned workshop were as follows:

Old Subdivision Plan of RVHOA

Proposed Subdivision Plan for RVHOA

• Recommendations based on the monitoring and assessment of external evaluators suggest to review and revise the site development plan which shows that the area allocation for the open space intended for the construction of their amenities, was greatly prioritized rather than the area for the Category A housing participants which is the lowest income group among the three (3) income groups which was categorized by the federation 
• Findings on land survey and evaluation by the federation’s technical assistants show the irregularity of lot sizes and shape as well as unleveled terrain which needs land filling. Land filling of the area would be an additional burden and expense for the housing participants considering their very limited loan for construction materials which only amounts to seventy thousand pesos (P70, 000. 00).
• Formulation and drafting of the plan only involved the first batch of participants which became a limiting factor in developing a more comprehensive and inclusive plan which is generally favorable and beneficial.
• The awarding of house units and actual transfer of the first batch of housing participants in CLIFF San Isidro Relocation Site raised concerns on the matters pertaining to the utilization of the open space and identification of amenities to be put up in the area.  

The workshop was divided into four (4) different parts namely:

Ø  Rationalization- considering the reasons stated above, the main goal for organizing the workshop is to make the housing participants and HOA members realize the need to revise the original subdivision plan and thus actively involve themselves to act on the proposed change. Community architects and interns facilitated the discussion and presentation of the original plan vis-à-vis the proposed open space location highlighting the comparative advantages and disadvantages of the two.

Ø  Visualization- to prompt RVHOA members to initially think about their priority facilities to be put up in the open space area given the size and the location, familiarization of the boundaries of the proposed site as well as mapping out of existing adjacent structures  are very important. With the assistance of the community architects and interns, boundaries of the proposed open space location were marked out and participants walked around the defined boundaries to have a clearer picture of the area.

Ø  Identification and Prioritization of Space Use or Facilities- to have a more diverse and comprehensive decision in terms of prioritizing facilities and consideration of its space use, participants were grouped based on various interest groups namely: men, women and youth. Each interest group were tasked to list down the facilities they want, rank it according to their priority and present it with the big group to discuss the reasons for choosing such amenities. After which, the ideas of the three (3) interest groups about their priority amenities were consolidated.

Ø  Planning- after the consolidation of the various group’s priority amenities, identification of the area in which to put up the identified priority facilities was done as part of the planning for the finalization of the site development plan for RVHOA’s open space. Participants used scaled grids and cut outs in illustrating their desired amenities and posted it on an enlarged map to show where they want to place them.

The following are insights which were shared by the housing participants during the workshop:

v  “Revising the subdivision plan of the RVHOA as a whole is timely and appropriate especially now that our members started to transfer here in the relocation site and occupy their new houses. We are continuously growing in terms of our population in CLIFF San Isidro Site which I think should entail better planning of our open spaces and its usage”, says Joel Sicat, RHOA President during the expectation setting and impression sharing part of the workshop.

v  Basketball Court, botanical garden, community mini-market, Material Recovery Facility (MRF), chapel, community hall and playground are among the amenities or facilities which were mainly considered by the participants. These are the things which the participants deemed necessary and are reflective of men, women and youth’s priority. The basketball court according to them can serve as a multi-purpose area for the community’s various activities. The botanical garden and the mini-market were primarily suggested by the group of women participants who consider it essential to have a source of herbal medicine and accessible market. While the youth particularly those age ranges from three (3) to eight (8) years old expressed their suggestion of a playground to be included as one of the amenities in the open space through their drawings.

The aforementioned activity is part of the organizational development workshop being conducted and organized for Philippine Alliance’s community members and partners. Such undertaking shows that in decision making, despite the fact that the alliance adheres toward ensuring that the community is in charge of determining the solutions for their problems as well as in recognizing the things which are beneficial for them, final decisions are always made in consideration with the recommendations of the federation’s community architects and engineers who have the technical skills, formal training and substantial background on the subject matter. This is a concrete manifestation of the importance of technical support institution like TAMPEI particularly in the slum upgrading initiatives of an urban poor federation like HPFPI.

HPFPI-PACSII, TAMPEI Conducts CLIFF Project Orientation with Megaworld HOA

 ILOILO CITY- (Friday) April 1, 2011- a meeting was held in Lanit Relocation Site, Jaro for the anticipated implementation of the Community-led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) Housing Project in partnership with Megaworld Homeowners’ Association (MHOA), Homeless Peoples Federation Philippines, Inc. (HPFPI), Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives, Inc. (PACSII) and Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment, Inc. (TAMPEI) in the three (3)-hectare donated lot of the Megaworld Corporation.  

Megaworld HOA is composed of around 300 relocatees from the fifty four (54)-hectare Old Iloilo Airport Site in Mandurrriao District. They were divided into two (2) clusters: (MHOA Cluster A and B) and had transferred to Lanit Relocation Site with the assistance of Megaworld Corporation and the Iloilo City Government through its Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO). Although Megaworld Corporation had donated a 3-hectare lot and had provided seven thousand (7,000) worth of financial assistance for the relocatees during their transfer, still, most of them were not able to build sustainable and disaster resilient structures. A number of house structures in the relocation site where made out of salvaged materials from their old houses in Mandurriao.

Lonelyn Barrientos, President of MHOA together with their
Secretary, Raquel Bellera, explains the compsition of their
association

 In 2008, members of Megaworld HOA where greatly affected by the devastations brought about by typhoon Frank. In response, HPFPI initiated the Housing Materials Assistance Program which has lent 5,000 worth of house repair loan to members of the association.

This year, HPFPI-PACSII targets to involve forty (40) housing participants from the aforementioned association who will be entitled to avail maximum of ninety thousand (90,000) worth of housing loan which can either be used for house repair or complete residential construction. Although the loan will be distributed among 40 individual members, it was emphasized that HPFPI and PACSII will deal with the community association as the accountable legal entity particularly during repayment. Likewise, Sonia Cadornigara, HPFPI’s Regional Coordinator for Western Visayas, stressed participants’ willingness and eagerness to pay as the critical criteria in availing CLIFF loan and the important factors in securing the availability and accessibility of the CLIFF fund to other urban poor communities in the future.

Sonia Cadornigara, HPFPI Regional Coordinator for
Western Visayas, explains some important processes being
observed in CLIFF project implementation 

Other concerns raised during the meeting were as follows:

• CLIFF Qualification Requirements which applicants from Megaworld HOA should comply with
• Labor Equity requirement either through cash or sweat equity
• Integrating Community Savings within the process of cash equity collection
• Terms of Repayment of the CLIFF loan

To explain and answer community members concerns in detail, a follow-up meeting was scheduled on April 10, 2011. Cadornigara reasoned that the community needs gradual orientation and series of meetings and workshops in order for them to fully understand CLIFF processes. Although the social preparatory activities may take time and a lot of effort, Cadornigara is certain that CLIFF will make another difference in the lives community members from Megaworld Homeowners’ Association.

HPFPI-PACSII, PCUP, ICPDO Confer CLIFF Project with New Baldoza HOA

PCUP, ICPDO, HPFPI_PACSII and TAMPEI review the
initial draft of the subdivision plan for NBHOA 

ILOILO CITY- Tuesday, March 29, 2011, a preliminary discussion about the upcoming offsite housing project in the 1.5 hectare PCUP-donated lot located in Lanit Relocation Site, Jaro was held between Homeless People’s Federation Philippines, Inc. (HPFPI) headed by Sonia Cadornigara, HPFPI’s Regional Director for Western Visayas, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) headed Chloe Osano, Regional Director, Field Operations Division for Visayas together with Peachy Marie Ochong, PCUP’s Area Coordinator for Iloilo City and Iloilo City Planning and Development Office (ICPDO) represented by Elizabeth Alparaque, City Planning and Development Officer III. The aforementioned activity is one of HPFPI’s preparatory steps for the implementation and expansion of Community-led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) Housing and Resettlement Project in Iloilo City which targets the construction of forty (40) housing units this year, for and in partnership with community members of New Baldoza Homeowner’s Association.

The New Baldoza Homeowners’ Association (NBHOA) is composed of households informally residing in the 3.2 hectare Montinola land property located in Brgy. Baldoza, Lapaz. Some have been occupying the area for more than twenty (20) years now but have not actually transferred residence despite the issuance of administrative and court ordered demolition in favor of the Montinolas. Last year, the PCUP was able to purchase 1.5 hectare Tarroza land property in Barangay Lanit, District of Jaro through their Emergency Land Acquisition Assistance for Victims of Eviction and Demolition (ELAVED) Program. Fortunately, PCUP identified and selected NBHOA as an ELAVED beneficiary and had actually granted the land for free to 185 households. The Montinolas have likewise offered financial assistance worth five thousand (5,000.00) pesos provided that the residents vacate the area. Despite the assistance provided by PCUP and offered by the landowner, members of NBHOA still find difficulty in transferring to the relocation site primarily because the financial assistance and the free lot are not enough for them to secure comfortable houses for themselves. This problem became the entry point of HPFPI-PACSII and TAMPEI for housing provision through CLIFF.

(Right) Chloe Osano, PCUP Regional Director, Field
Operations Division for Visayas together with Peachy Marie
 Ochong, PCUP’s Area Coordinator for Iloilo City (left)

Among the concerns raised during the discussion were as follows:

   ·         Distribution Scheme of the donated lot- how to make it more favorable to CLIFF housing participants as regards the easy and non-costly implementation of the housing project

   ·         Irregular sizes, shapes and positions of lot based on the current subdivision plan

   ·         How to secure the non-saleability of the lot within ten years upon occupation according to the terms provided by PCUP

   ·         How to ensure repayment of housing participants as regards their CLIFF loan considering the absence of agreements or legal documents which would protect the HPFPI’s interest on revolving CLIFF funds and that the PCUP’s administrative role is limited until the allocation and distribution of lots through a deed of donation

Sonia Cadornigara shares some community processes being
observed in the implementation of CLIFF Housing Project

Aside from the abovementioned concerns, PCUP in particular brought about their concern on how to instill a sense of responsibility and ownership along with the implementation of the housing project. In response Cadornigara answered in contemplation, “That is exactly what CLIFF processes strive to develop among the housing participants through community-led and managed procurement and construction activities. This may sound a bit cliché to you but in CLIFF, we are not just building homes, we are building communities.”

The half day activity ended not with tangible agreement but with the assurance of partnership between the aforementioned stakeholders. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled to talk about drafting a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to formalize the partnership between HPFPI-PACSII and PCUP.

BHA Initiates Discussion on Probable Housing Initiative with HPFPI

Bacolod City- (Tuesday) March 22, 2011, Bacolod Housing Authority’s (BHA) Department Head, Josephine Segundino initiated an exploratory discussion with Sonia Codornigara, Regional Coordinator for Western Visayas and Overall Programs and Services Coordinator of Homeless People’s Federation Philippines, Inc. (HPFPI) regarding a proposed socialized housing project in Bacolod City’s 58.6 hectare Granada-Vista Alegre Relocation Site II. Initial discussion targets 298 low income families informally residing along the riverbanks of Sharina Heights in Barangay Taculing. Out of the 58. 6 hectare relocation site, the city government of Bacolod City has allotted 3.52 hectares for the proposed housing project where home lot measures 64 sq. m. each.  

Other than the discussion on the proposed housing project, Cadornigara gave an update about the recent CLIFF Stakeholders Board (CSB) Meeting with a focus on the forum discussion entitled “Decent Housing, Is It Affordable?” which became a point of interest on how to advocate for exemptions and lowering down of cost of housing-related fees for the urban poor. Cadornigara raised HPFPI’s stand about some inapplicable and irrelevant provisions of the National Building Code of the Philippines particularly in matters pertaining to the housing initiatives of self-help groups. It requires permits and fees which the federation deem appropriate only to private and real estate developers like licenses to sell and building permits which are usually accomplished prior to housing construction. The city government’s capability of formulating resolutions which trim down housing-related requirements, as well as the establishment of strong partnership with national shelter agencies in order to hasten urban poor’s housing initiative were also highlighted during the meeting.

As regards the proposed housing project, the BHA pledged to draft a project proposal to be presented to Bacolod City Mayor, Evelio Leonardia for an executive approval on the following week. Conversely, Cadornigara assured that BHA’s proposal will be discussed by federation members accordingly. However, Cadornigara is looking at Urban Poor Fund International (UPFI) of the Slum Dwellers International (SDI) where Cadornigara is one of the board members, as a probable finance facility which could operationalize the proposed housing project.  

Learning from the experiences of HPFPI Iloilo on housing provision, it is evident that the partnership and support of the local government unit is very critical in determining the success of a project. Bacolod Housing Authority’s demonstration of interest on the community-driven initiatives of HPFPI particularly on the process being observed in the implementation of Community-led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) Housing and Resettlement Project shows promising signs of a successful housing and resettlement intervention of HPFPI in Bacolod City.

TAMPEI Holds Orientation Activity for CEA Students in USA

ILOILO CITY-(Friday) March 11, 2011, Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment, Inc. (TAMPEI) held an orientation activity for the engineering and architecture students of the University of San Agustin’s (USA) College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA). The aforementioned activity was one of TAMPEI’s strategies to solicit technical support from students as a response to the pressing need of the Philippine Alliance (composed of Homeless Peoples Federation Philippines Inc. and the Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives Inc.) for additional volunteers in the implementation of   its Slum Upgrading Initiatives and Community-led and Managed Housing Projects here in Iloilo City. It was attended by junior and senior students taking up architecture, civil, chemical and mechanical engineering from the same university, as well as some community leaders of the Philippine Alliance.

 The orientation activity started with a prayer led by Angela Cham, a 5th year architecture student and was followed by a brief introduction of participants facilitated by Engr. Reynaldo Asuncion, Dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture. Arch. Villa Mae Libutaque, TAMPEI President gave the rationale of the activity and discussed the common perception of students regarding the commercially-driven nature of their work. Libutaque stressed the fact that the poor people, especially those living in congested cities like Iloilo also need their assistance. As a follow-up to the discussion, a video presentation about the role of technical professionals in upgrading slum dwellers' physical and environmental conditions was shown to the students. It was followed by another video presentation  focusing on Philippine Alliance's community-managed housing initiatives currently supported by the Community-led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) Programme.  

Community leaders from Kabalaka and San Isidro Housing Projects presented the on-going CLIFF initiatives in San Isidro Relocation Site, Jaro and the upcoming projects for new CLIFF expansion communities in Iloilo City for the second phase. 

Given the scope of work that the HPFPI-PACSII and TAMPEI in Iloilo is currently undertaking and will be facing for the next consecutive months, Arch. Christopher Ebreo and Arch. Alcor Mandario of TAMPEI facilitated a discussion about the possible  participation or contribution of the student volunteers. Libutaque stressed out that the nature of their involvement will be tasked- based which means that students will be doing output-oriented tasks such as drafting and design works, surveying, facilitation of technical trainings and workshops,   research on alternative and low-cost housing technology, and incremental housing development. 


On the other hand, for students who will be doing internship for the federation, they will facilitate the formalization of design outputs of the housing participants and be part of construction supervision along with the site engineer. 

Sonia Cadornigara, HPFPI Coordinator for Western Visayas and Board Member of Slum Dwellers International also added that the bulk of ongoing and upcoming projects of the Philippine Alliance, especially in Iloilo City make it ideal for both architecture and engineering students to do their internship in the federation. Aside from the challenge of coming up with designs with very limited financial resources, students are also given the opportunity to supervise actual implementation of the project. “The multi-faceted nature of the required technical support of the federation makes it an ideal laboratory for students and technical professionals alike who want to learn and at the same time impart their technical skills to the urban poor sector”, Cadornigara added.

Speaking in behalf of the College of Engineering and Architecture of the University of San Agustin, Engr. Reynaldo Asuncion assured the Alliance of its continued support by linking the university's internship, research and extension programs with ongoing upgrading and housing initiatives of the urban poor sector.