SMC assists relocation of Bulacan coastal villagers
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has been providing financial assistance to fishpond workers living in the coastal village of Taliptip in Bulacan so they can have the opportunity to relocate and rebuild on safer ground.
In a statement, SMC said these residents are voluntarily giving up their houses, mostly on stilts, and rebuild their lives inland and in their respective provinces.
The owners of non-concrete houses or shanties were given ₱250,000 each while concrete houses were given the appraised value of their houses multiplied twice plus ₱100,000. A total of 277 houseowners from the area were qualified for cash assistance.
Both owners of non-concrete and concrete houses will also get the appraised value share for the chapels in their areas as requested by Bishop Dennis Villarojo of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos.
Apart from the financial assistance, SMC will provide skills training to coastal settlers through the Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Bulakan LGU.
A number of the residents opted to remain in Bulacan province while others went back to their provinces, namely Samar, Negros, Nueva Ecija, Sorsogon, Mindoro, Masbate, Camarines Sur, Malabon, Bataan Valenzuela, Parañaque, Dumaguete, and Albay.
For safety and health reasons, these residents were advised to refrain from relocating to coastal areas, riverbanks, seashores, and squatter areas.
With this, residents are looking forward to better living conditions after years of staying at the coastal area often inundated by flood waters damaging their houses and affecting their families.
These residents of nine sitios comprising Barangay Taliptip thanked SMC for providing them start-up capital and helping them move to safer ground.
Their relocation will also pave the way for the development of SMC’s ₱734-billion international airport that is seen to revive the province and the country’s economy reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.