Illegal settlers dominate Panay housing project

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – Most occupants of Panay Housing Ville in Barangay Poblacion Ilaya, Panay, Capiz, are illegal settlers, Mayor Jonathan “Sonny” Besa said.

Besa said in a recent media interview that the local government’s re-evaluation of 1,500 occupants showed that only 471 were legitimate beneficiaries, while 1,029 were illegal settlers.

The mayor said he would defer to the interagency committee on what action to take against the illegal settlers.

The committee is composed of representatives from the National Housing Authority, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, and the Panay municipal government.

The Panay local government created the interagency committee to re-evaluate the housing project’s occupants after receiving reports that some units had been rented out to other people.

Other beneficiaries also allegedly sold their rights to other individuals and relatives.

The review aims to determine the legitimate occupants of the government housing project and address reported violations of occupancy rules.