From being illegal settlers or tenants all their lives, 229 families now have a house of their own at BaseCommunity in Port Area, Manila.
On Monday, the city inaugurated its first community housing project and awarded the townhouse-style units to the first batch of indigent beneficiaries.
Each 42-square-meter unit in the BaseCommunity, located in Barangay 649 or the Baseco Compound, has two bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom.
The high-rise Tondominium 1 and 2 are also expected to be finished by the end of the year while more condominium units in the area of San Lazaro, San Sebastian, and Pedro Gil are also in the planning stages.
“Mababawasan na ang pangamba ng tatay at nanay nyo. Nangangamba sila na ‘yung bahay nila na barong barong ay nakatusok pa o hindi. Magkakaron kayo ng kapanatagan sa panirahan (Your parents will worry less if their houses are still standing. You will now have peace of mind),” Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said in his speech.
He asked the beneficiaries to take care of their properties.
“Alagaan ninyo ito. Hindi araw araw Pasko. ‘Wag ninyo bababuyin. ‘Di baleng maging mahirap tayo, ‘wag lang tayo maging dugyot (Take care of this. Christmas doesn’t happen every day. Keep it clean. It is okay to be poor but we should not be filthy),” he said. (PNA)
