Yorme vows rich, poor share comfort
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Thursday said given the chance to become president, the national government would embark on vertical mass housing projects for urban informal settlers and build more public hospitals and school buildings for ordinary Filipinos.
“Decent housing, hospital, schools. Whatever I did in Manila, I intend to apply to the whole country. I wanted the poor to experience what the rich enjoys,” Moreno said.
The Aksyon Demokratiko presidential bet made the pronouncement in a dialogue with more than a thousand former informal settlers who were beneficiaries of housing units in PAR Homes 3, an in-city housing project in Barangay La Huerta, Parañaque City.
Moreno cited Tondominium 1 and 2 which are situated in Tondo, one of the most densely populated districts in the Philippine capital, and one of the world’s largest slums.
Set to be completed by the end of this year, the two residential buildings have a combined total of 336 twobedroom apartment units, each with a size of 44 square meters.
Lifted from slums
Binondominium 1 and 2 meanwhile are set to be completed by January next year, while Basecommunity was completed last July.
Just recently, the city government broke ground for the San Lazaro Residences, Pedro Gil Residences and the San Sebastian Residences.
The housing projects are all situated in the city’s slum areas to accommodate urban poor and informal settlers and give them the advantage of remaining near their places of work and livelihood.
Besides more socialized housing programs, Moreno said his government would also embark on building more hospitals and more public-school buildings for ordinary people, again similar to those he established in Manila which are modernized facilities complete with amenities like those found in private hospitals and schools.
Decent housing, hospital, schools. Whatever I did in Manila, I intend to apply to the whole country.
And just last October, Moreno led the groundbreaking ceremonies for the three-story, 50-bed President Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital in Baseco compound where Basecommunity is located.
Once completed, it will be the city’s seventh public hospital besides the Bagong Ospital ng Maynila, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Tondo, Sta. Ana Hospital, Justice Abad Santos Medical Center and Gat Andres Bonifacio Medical Center.
The Manila City government is also currently constructing 10-story fully airconditioned buildings in Rosauro Almario Elementary School, Manila Science High School, and the Albert School that included a 1.5-hectare land development.
Moreno said taxes on oil and electricity would also be cut by half to cushion the socio-economic effects of the pandemic.
While this may cost the government in P130 billion in foregone revenue, Moreno said the twin tax cuts would bring immediate relief to ordinary Filipinos in the form of lower cost of food, lower transportation fares, and higher income, among others.