Estimating Informal settlers in the Philippines Essay

In the lodgement Backlog memorise commissi wizardd by the HUDCC, the Consultants prep bed the estimates of loose Settlers in the Philippines. According to the spatial Statistics of Informal Settlers in the Philippines component of the Study, informal colonist families reached an estimated 550,771 endureholds as of prideful 1, 2007. This is based on the extrapolation made using the 2000 census of race and Housing (CPH) and the 2007 Census of Population. The study showed that the highest concentration of informal settlers was in Quezon City, having more than 90 thousand households. Far second are Rizal in Calabarzon and Davao City in the Davao Region, both with more than 20 thousand households in the informal settler sphere of influence. card 1. Results of the Mapping of Informal Settlers in the PhilippinesIt should be noned that for this specialized study, Informal Settlers are outlined as those households1 whose tenure status is rent-free without consent of possessor. The 2000 Census of Population and Housing (CPH) info provides statistics on households with tenure of lot, rent-free without consent of possessor which were then classified as informal settlers. However, the 2007 Census of Population did not include the caparison panorama, hence the study used the characteristic observed in CPH 2000 to interpret the numbers for 2007. The HUDCC then compared the result of the Study with the Survey on Informal Settlers in Metro Manila conducted by the NHA in 2007. In T adequate to(p) 2, the NHA identified 544,609 informal settler families in Metro Manila, while the NS0-CPH figures news report for only 199,398 informal settler families.1Household- a group of persons who sopor in the same accommodate unit and have a honey oil arrangement in the preparation and consumption of food. scalawag 1 of 6Table 2. Comparison of Estimated Number of Informal Settlers in Metro Manila, 2007The variety between the Census-derived figures and the data from NHA can be explained by the different commentarys and methodologies pick out by the NSO and the NHA. DEFINING AND IDENTIFYING INFORMAL SETTLERSThe content Census Office has defined Informal Settlers as households occupying a lot rent-free without the consent of the have goter. In Census mindnaires on Tenure Status of the Lot, the responder is asked, Do you own or amortize this lot occupied by your household, do you rent it, or do you occupy it rent-free with consent of owner or rent-free without consent of the owner?Moreover, the Census prosecutionionnaires in any case throw data on type of mental synthesis or house, wrench materials of the roof, construction materials of the outer walls, state of repair of building/house, year building/house was built, floor res publica of the lodgment unit, tenure status of the lot . During Census of Population and Housing held every ten years, additional questions are asked from a 20 percent sample on the following burn for lighting, fuel for cooking, source of wet supply for drinking and/or cooking, source of water for laundry and/or bathing, tenure status of the housing unit, acquisition of the housing unit, source of financing, monthly rental of the housing unit, usual manner of drivel disposal, kind of toilet/facility, land ownership.Page 2 of 6The internal Housing Authority and Local Government Units, on the other hand, mustiness(prenominal) follow the multi-faceted approach provided in RA 7279 or the Urban maturement and Housing portrayal of 1992 or UDHA in identifying homelessand underprivileged citizens or more broadly, informal settlers.UDHA does not use the termination informal settlers nor squatters precisely adopts the term homeless and underprivileged citizens 2 . At the same time, the uprightness mandates LGUs to undertake a alteration3 of Socialized Housing Beneficiaries, subject to eligibility criteria4. Special considerations are too provided for persons and entities who whitethorn be subje ct to constructive eviction and wipeout5 particularly those occupying en dangerment areas and other public places, or areas affected by government home projects, and in lands when there is a court order for eviction and demolition.Moreover, UDHA also distinguishes potential housing beneficiaries from professional squatters and squatting connects (Section 27) and new squatters (Section 44) who occupy the area after ring 31, 1992.The identification of homeless and underprivileged/socialized housing beneficiary or more broadly informal settlers in UDHA must take the following into consideration several(prenominal)(prenominal) aspects post in urban and urbanizable areasfamily incomenon-ownership of housing facilities elsewhere in the Philippines occupancy in makeshift worry unitssecurity of tenurelocation of d heartying (danger areas, public spaces, government bag projects, private land)not a member of a squatting homenot a professional squatter the business of squatter housing for profit or gain occupancy of the land before March 31, 1992To this end, the LGUs and the NHA conduct censuses on specific areas that involve physical survey of the area, tagging of every structure, mapping and household listing, ownership of structure, tenure arrangements (rental, sharing arrangements, absentee holdings), as salutary family composition, source of income, education. Censuses of informal settlers identify all households and plane families, as well as structure owners, tenants, sharers, and other occupants, especially if the area willing be cleared of structures for infrastructure civilizement for safety considerations in danger areas, or due to court orders.However, only a handful of LGUs conduct continual censuses of informal settlers and report their findings to HUDCC.2Section 3. t.Underprivileged and homeless citizens refers to the beneficiaries of this Act and to individuals or families residing in urban and urbanizable areas whose income or combined hous ehold income go within the poverty threshold as defined by the case Economic and maturation Authority and who do not own housing facilities. This shall include those who live in makeshift dwelling units and do not enjoy security of tenure 3Section 17 enrolment of Socialized Housing Beneficiaries The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, in coordination with the local government units, shall design a organisation for the registration of fitting Program beneficiaries in accordance with the Framework. The local government units, within one (1) year from the effectiveness of this Act, shall identify and register all beneficiaries their respective localities.4Sec. 16. Eligibility Criteria for Socialized Housing Program Beneficiaries To qualify for the socialized housing computer programme, a beneficiary a.Must be a Filipino b. Must be an underprivileged and homeless citizen, as defined in Section 3 of this Act c. Must not own any real keeping whether in the urban or rural areas and d.Must not be a professional squatter or a member of squatting syndicate5Section 28. Eviction and Demolition Eviction or demolition as a practice shall be discouraged. Eviction or demolition, however, may be allowed under the following situationsa. When persons or entities occupy danger areas such(prenominal) as esteros, railroad tracks, garbage dumps, riverbanks, shorelines, waterways, and other public places such as sidewalks, roads, parks, and playgrounds b. When government infrastructure projects with available funding are about to be implemented or c. When there is a court order for eviction and demolition.Page 3 of 6It is in this realize that there is a need to improve the data show techniques for informal settlers in the Philippines. amend DATA COLLECTION FOR INFORMAL SETTLERSFaced with the challenges of coming up with naturalistic and systematic information of informal settlers, the HUDCC has taken the lead in several initiatives Defining informal sett lers and designing data collection schemes The HUDCC proposed defining the term informal settlers as those households living in i)lot without consent of the stead ownerii)danger areasiii)areas for government infrastructure projectsiv) protected/fo endure areas (except for original people)v)Areas for Priority Development (APDs), if applicable andvi)other government/public lands or facilities not intended for habitation.The definition is based on the UDHA provision of households that will be affected by eviction and demolition namely those in danger areas such as river/waterways, railroad tracks, dumpsites those in government lands, and those in private lands. The definition thus focuses on the spatial nature of cosmos distribution of informal settlers. This definition also reflects the functional requirements for clearing of danger areas and those areas affected by government projects which targets all households, regardless of income or even tenure status. In this regard, mappin g of such sites to guide the NSO will be crucial.Operationally the HUDCC has made arrangements with the National Statistics Office and the National Statistical Coordination tabular array through the Technical Committee on Population and Housing Statistics (TCPHS) that this definition be adopted during the 2010 Census of Population. The HUDCC moved for the inclusion of the following question to be answered by the enumerator through observationEncircle the positive or the nearest physical location of the housing unit of the respondent1Residential area2Along river/creek/epithelial duct/estero/waterways3Along the railroad4Easements of road and/or way and/or under the bridge5Inside cemetery6Areas for government infrastructure projects7Within dumpsites8Within protected areas and forest landsPage 4 of 69Within conglomerate of government hospital, school, military camps or other public institution and facilities10Within private lands11Others, specify______________________The NSO, throug h Administrator Ericta considered the request of HUDCC as a post census activity. The HUDCC was also required to come up with maps delineating barangays boundaries, limits of danger areas, and even extent of right-of-way to guide the post-census validation. The HUDCC offered to concentrate first on Metro Manila informal settlers in coordination with Metro Manila Development Authority.To this end the HUDCC coordinated with the Metro Manila Development Authority which committed to generate maps from its member-LGUs. It should be noted that the MMDA was also engaged in its own update of the Informal Settler Families in Metro Manila and welcomed the probability to bridge the inconsistency between the generated ISF data of HUDCC with their own database. In this regard the HUDCC facilitated a workshop between NSO and MMDA to harmonize the data attaining system of the two agencies.The National Statistical Coordination Board, through the TCHPS took cognizance of the strong withdraw for cosmos data for danger areas/zones and recommended that the HUDCC first provide an operational definition of these areas and then identify and prepare a listing of these areas by barangays. With the operational definition and listing of danger areas/zones, the HUDCC may coordinate with NSO for the generation of the people data for these areas as part of the post census activities.The Department of National Defense also supported the concern for more population data on those in danger areas/ zone, with its comments made during the Referendum among the NSCB Board Members (November 11, 2009) when it stated2. On Population count for danger areas/zoneIt may be clutch to link this up with the work of the InteragencyCommittee on Security sphere of influence Statistics (IACSSS). The IASCSSS may identify conflict-affected areas and study the correlation, if any, between census-generated data on population and housing with otherdemographic data, as inputs to policy and strategy formulatio n. This may be done as an after-census activity. Moreover, there is an ongoing effort to develop the hazard map of the Philippines, showing the vulnerabilities of various regions/provinces in terms of disasters, such as typhoons, earthquakes, landslides and others. Data on population and housing will be very critical in the formulation of policies and disaster management plans.Page 5 of 6DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER-AIDED SYSTEM OF SOCIALIZED housing BENEFICIARY REGISTRATION SYSTEM FOR LGUsSection 17 of RA 7279, Registration of Socialized Housing Beneficiaries, directs the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, in coordination with the local government units, to design a system for the registration of do Program beneficiaries. The local government units, within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act, shall identify and register all beneficiaries their respective localities.. To this end a simplex form indicating family composition, and tenure status was designed to be filled up by the potential beneficiaries during the Registration date designated by the LGU.More than a decade later, the Housing Backlog Study was able to generate a computer program that will assist the LGUs administer the registration. The computer program will facilitate encoding, and even gather biometric data (photos, etc.) and ease report requirements.The Computer-based data entry system on beneficiary listing in the CD which was tested in Taguig and Muntinlupa , in which both LGUs expressed their esteem for the program. NEXT STEPSThe HUDCC continues to coordinate with the MMDA and the NSO with regard to the processing of the 2010 Census of Population and Housing. To date, the MMDA has been able to consolidate the reports of informal settlers in Metro Manila from 15 out of the is 17 component LGUs . Maps have been prepared inseveral municipalities.Under the new administration of Vice President Jejomar Binay, the HUDCC has refocused its housing thrusts to building new homes for the poor in partnership with NGOs like the Gawad Kalinga and Habitat for Humanity, and to adorn LGUs to assume a bigger role in providing housing for their constituents. In this regard, the Computer-aided system developed by the SRTC could be easily mobilized.The HUDCC will also work with the NSCB and the Interagency Committee on Security Sector Statistics (IACSSS) as suggested by the DND in order to design a better data collection system. To this end, the HUDCC envisions that future population data will also have a spatial component, with mapping incorporated in the data-gathering and reporting using a GIS approach to identifying potential housing beneficiaries in the near future. CONCLUSIONThe quest to improve the database on informal settlers was the result of open dialogues and the support of the NSO, the MMDA and the NSCB. The dialogues were able to generate a definition of informal settlers that is based on location and is complementary to the needs of agencies tha t will address the needs of these households. As the Philippines and the rest of the world grow more urban in nature with the complement challenges of urban blight, overcrowding, poor quality of life , better data gather methods and baseline data will be crucial in identifying areas and sector that will need interventions. The latest computer programs should be used as tools toAnd we hope when the next Census of Population and Housing comes around in nine years, we are better equipped so that we can binding the whole Philippines .Page 6 of 6