2,000 displaced residents relocated to Magalang town

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — Some 2,000 former residents of Sitio Balubad in Barangay Anunas will be relocated to Magalang town.

Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. announced that the residents will be housed in 660 lots in Magalang.

The residents were displaced on 12 March from the 73-hectare land reclaimed by its owner, Clarkhills Properties Corporation.

Lazatin said that a three-hectare site in Magalang town has been identified to accommodate approximately 535 families, as identified in a recent mapping conducted by the Angeles LGU.

Each beneficiary in the relocation site in Magalang town will receive a 45-square-meter lot, allowing them to finally own their own land, the mayor confirmed.

The city government is now preparing for the relocation process of the affected families.

“As I have stated before, I will not abandon the affected residents of Sitio Balubad,” Lazatin said.

Councilor Pogs Suller assured that water and electricity connections will be promptly installed once the identified beneficiaries are relocated to Magalang town, situated in the first congressional district of Pampanga.

Clarkhills Properties Corporation took possession of Sitio Balubad in March and implemented checkpoints at all entry points to the property.

Despite Mayor Lazatin’s offer of P70 million to purchase two hectares from Clarkhills for the relocation of Sitio Balubad residents, the offer was declined, prompting the Angeles LGU to search for an alternative location in Magalang town.