by Raymund F. Antonio

With the approval of the south line of the North-South Railway project, Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo is looking at mass housing for informal settler families (ISFs) living along railroad tracks.

Robredo, also chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), revealed a housing plan for ISFs as the railway project is expected to displace them from their homes.

“We will utilize mass housing for informal settlers near the tracks because it would be difficult to remove them. They would just come back,” she said.

Robredo noted that the informal setters keep on returning to their old homes because they were relocated far from their work.

Speaking to reporters in Camarines Sur, the Vice President said they would conduct a survey of available lands that could possibly be used for mass housing.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board recently approved nine projects, including the south line of the North-South Railway Project.

The 634-kilometer railway will cost R170.7 billion, according to its website. It will run from Tutuban in Manila to Matnog, Sorsogon.

Once completed, the government will bid out the railway maintenance and management to the private sector.

Under the project, she said there would be a shift from narrow to standard gauge tracks.

“Kasi sinasabi ko na parang dalang-dala na tayo sa narrow-gauge, ilan na iyong nagsubok, ilang pera na ng government ang nilagay diyan only for it to break down again at some point in time,” the Vice President said.