The Presidential Commission on Urban Poor has added environmental protection and solid waste management to its multi tasks in bid to help bring about clean, green, healthy, disaster-resilient, secured and economically progressive urban communities.
“Out of solid waste management, we will advocate organic farming in urban poor communities to help bring about healthy food,” Atty. Noel Felongco, PCUP chair explained on Saturday in Davao City.
Felongco met with urban poor associations to thresh out issues related to land acquisition in Davao City. He also held a meeting with the PCUP-Mindanao staff headed by Ferdinand Iman, chief of operations, to review policies and directions.
He said the PCUP will play an active role in integrated environmental protection and solid waste management to pave the way for green technologies and urban gardening.
Felongco, a former undersecretary of the Department of Environment, said the PCUP will also work to ensure security of tenure for the country’s various urban poor communities.
“We will go into land banking to ensure that there is available land for our informal settlers who are without land and shelter,” he said.
He said the communities will also be consulted in what of type of structure they would prefer based on the land area.
We shall encourage them to go into livelihood activities that would provide them income, to include livestock raising.
Over-all, he said the PCUP will focus on policy advocacy, coordination with national agencies, close monitoring, program implementation and legal assistance.
“Finally, we have incorporated federalism as one of our advocacies since it is a major thrust of the Duterte administration,” he said.
He said the PCUP is also committed to ensuring that there will be no demolition in informal settler communities without consultation and without relocation.
The Davao City Council has sought to provide housing for total of 59,000 households in compliance with its Comprehensive Urban Shelter and and Services Development Code of 2007.
