Condemned tenement in Tondo still housing 5,000 families

Some 5,000 families living in the dilapidated tenement of Aroma Compound in Tondo, Manila, are facing eviction, GMA News' Oscar Oida reported on Balitanghali on Thursday.

According to the National Housing Authority (NHA), they are planning to move the families to relocation sites in Caloocan City and in Rizal and Cavite provinces.

It said the city government of Manila has declared Aroma Compound condemned in 2015, meaning it is dangerous for anyone to live there.

"We are acting on the notice of the building official na kailangan ilikas ang mga tao doon," said Elsie Trinidad, NHA spokesperson.

Some residents interviewed by GMA News are amenable to being relocated but only if the government can assure them livelihood. Some, however, have no plans of leaving the place, citing its proximity to their jobs.

Trinidad said they are considering coming up with "temporary arrangements" to sustain the livelihood of those who will be relocated.

Similarly, residents of tenement housings in Punta in Sta. Ana, Manila, and in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City face eviction for safety purposes.

"Noong 2007 nakatanggap na kami ng babala o notice na 'di na safe ang mga building na ito at kailangan nang ilikas ang mga occupants doon," Trinidad said.

"In fact nung binigyan na kami ng notice tinigil narin namin ang pagkolekta ng upa," she added.

But according to the president of the residents' association of Punta Tenement, Eduardo Igoy, the cracks seen in the buildings were only "superficial."

Igoy said they want a new inspection of the building. "Para malaman namin talaga ang status ng building," he said.

Trinidad said the NHA agreed to conduct a fresh test on the building and it is currently being conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

"Pag hindi sila nailikas at may nangyari sa kanila, definitely, ultimately, mananagot ang National Housing Authority," she said. —KBK, GMA News