Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said President Benigno Aquino III’s Memorandum Order 57 gave the DILG the lead role because of the local government component in relocation.
“The challenge with relocating informal settler families goes beyond building houses and throwing them somewhere, it’s not as simple as that. Ang paglipat hindi lang basta-basta,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.
On Friday, Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco questioned the role of the DILG in the relocation effort, saying it was the National Housing Authority that should be handling the housing problem.
Valte countered that the DILG coordinates local government units involved in the relocation and is in “constant contact with stakeholders,” while the NHA only builds houses in the relocation sites.
The deputy spokesperson said that the other agencies involved included the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Valte also took a dig at critics who questioned the DILG’s role in the resettlement. “Huwag natin gawing simplistic para meron tayong maging press release,” she said. — DVM, GMA News
