NO PLACE TO CALL HOME: PROBING INTO THE URBAN SLUM PROLEM
OF METRO MANILA
By James Brian Ventura
The Philippines, a third-world country in Southeast Asia, is home to
104.9 million people. Out of all those numbers, there are 17 million
slum dwellers that are currently living in railways and cemeteries based
on a recent report by the World Bank earlier this year. As many families
seek out better employment opportunities from their provinces, many
of them migrate to urban areas. This trend has resulted in the
continuous and rapid growth of population in cities, which roughly
accounts for 44.4 % of the country’s total population. As these areas
become more saturated with inhabitants, the Housing and Urban
Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) estimates that there will be
about 1.4 million informal settler families (ISFs) all over the country; and
about 40 % reside
in Metro Manila. The urban slum problem of
Metro Manila persists for several reasons: incapacity of local
governments to coordinate with housing policies, lack of sustainable
source of funds, and most importantly; poor framework of policies on
land tenure.
Many ISFs are currently living in makeshift dwellings, their impaired
lifestyle leaves them susceptible to natural elements, most especially
typhoons. As a result, they have a diminished quality of life as compared
to the average life expectancy of 69.2 years. Since the 1900s, many
people believe that life is better in cities and large municipalities as
compared to the countryside. ongoing . In a report entitled “Expanding
Opportunities for the Urban Poor”, the Philippines placed third in the
countries with the largest slum population in the East Asia Pacific
Region. Furthermore, r. As there is a lack of a source for financial
resources, because of this, .
Moreover, the efficacy of established policies on land security is also put
into question. Since
The ISFs are no less deserving than everyone else to have a decent
home, it is a basic human right after all. Now the question is this: How
will?