Tiangco seeks Navotas flood, housing cash

Tiangco seeks Navotas flood, housing cash | Daily Tribune

The lawmaker said the city’s biggest challenge had long been annual flooding caused by its low elevation and location along the shoreline of Manila Bay, leaving large portions of Navotas vulnerable to inundation during heavy rains and high tides.

Although the problem has largely been addressed through the construction of a floodgate along the coast, Tiangco said the facility now requires rehabilitation.

“We used to be flooded 160 days a year. Even when the sun was shining, as long as it was high tide, we were flooded. That was where we came from. We have already resolved the flooding caused by high tides, as long as the floodgate does not break down,” he said.

To further strengthen flood control, Tiangco said the Department of Public Works and Highways is studying the construction of a second floodgate.

Aside from flood mitigation, Tiangco said the lack of housing remains one of Navotas’ most pressing concerns.

He explained that because of the city’s limited land area, flood control projects such as dikes have displaced informal settler families.

To address the problem, the local government has acquired land for the construction of five-story residential buildings, with funding sourced from the National Housing Authority through coordination with the House of Representatives.

Tiangco clarified that the housing units are not intended for ownership. Instead, beneficiaries pay only P300 a month in rent.

“The problem was that even if you placed an encumbrance stating that they could not sell the property, they would use it as collateral for mortgages,” he said.

“Later on, when they lose the property, they go back to squatting,” he added.

He noted that under previous NHA housing programs, beneficiaries who lost their units were no longer eligible for another socialized housing allocation.

To maintain peace and order in the residential communities, Tiangco said the city also requires all members of beneficiary families to undergo mandatory drug testing before they are allowed to occupy the housing units.