The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday turned over socialized housing units to 50 households affected by the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Extension Project in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said that affected residents and communities stand to benefit from well-made houses as well as job and livelihood opportunities.
According to Bautista, the relocation effort comes not only with a heavily subsidized housing plan but also with a livelihood program.
As an inter-agency response to the social dislocation, the relocation sites for the displaced are highly livable and provided with basic utilities and low monthly amortization of only P500 with quick access to schools, health center, public market, sports facilities, police station and transport terminal.
The DOTr and the Philippine National Railway (PNR), in cooperation with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), the National Housing Authority (NHA), and the City Government of San Fernando, facilitated the permanent relocation of the 50 families from seven affected barangays in San Fernando City.
For relocation in Phase 2 San Fernando View Residences in Barangay Calulut, San Fernando, Pampanga, the first 50 project affected households are among the 1,138 beneficiaries in the city.
Included were not just those displaced by the construction of stations and elevated railway but also those who experienced flooding as a result of civil works at the project.
A second relocation site with more than 200 housing units will be opened later this year. A third site, to be opened early 2024, will involve constructing a low-rise building with more than 400 units.
The NSCR Extension Project forms part of the 147-kilomete NSCR System designed also to integrate the project’s Malolos-Clark segment and its Calamba leg (Solis-Calamba).
Once operational, the NSCR system will serve over 500,000 passengers daily and reduce travel time from Calamba, Laguna to Clark, Pampanga to only two hours.
