The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Quezon City government will prioritize relocating informal settler families (ISFs) living along waterways, citing the serious hazards of remaining in danger zones, especially during the rainy season.

In a recent meeting, DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte discussed joint housing projects for the city’s most vulnerable and underserved sectors.

“In line with President Marcos Jr.’s directive, we must move our fellow citizens away from dangerous areas — along rivers, esteros, and other waterways. We need to transfer them to decent and safe communities,” Aliling said in Filipino.

Aliling and Belmonte agreed to prioritize residents near the city’s rivers and canals for the Expanded 4PH projects, with both favoring a rental housing scheme as the most viable option.

“We are in favor of rental housing,” Belmonte said.

Since taking office in May, Aliling has added rental housing to the modalities of the Expanded 4PH Program. The DHSUD is exploring a pilot project within the University of the Philippines–Diliman campus.

According to Quezon City Hall, about 13,000 families currently live along the city’s waterways.

“Just give us the list of priority sites, and if you have available land, we can proceed with the project,” Aliling told Belmonte.

Belmonte assured the city can provide suitable land for the relocation program, adding: “Rental is really the best way forward.”