Nueva Ecija officials ask homeless in San Leonardo to relocate

CNN Philippines

Local officials are urging residents of San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija to relocate after soil erosion destroyed their homes.  Paige Javier has the details.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 Nancy and Christy want to move on from a tragic incident.

00:06 They are among 109 individuals who lost their homes because of soil erosion in Barangay

00:12 Tambo, Adorable.

00:14 Even before seeing the relocation site, Nancy was already set on moving.

00:19 "We can play outside, we can plant vegetables.

00:23 We are really safe."

00:26 Christy was not easily convinced despite losing part of her home.

00:30 She just changed her mind when she saw the site and heard stories from neighbors.

00:34 "Many of our neighbors want to move.

00:37 It's far from the river and it's safer."

00:43 Affected residents can choose to relocate here in Barangay San Roque in the town of

00:48 Gimba.

00:49 About 60 housing units are available here and more are on the way.

00:53 Residents just need to install power and water lines.

00:57 Not all residents are sold on relocating.

01:00 Some want to stay in the place they have called home for decades.

01:03 "We are going to stay here for a while.

01:07 It's so far away.

01:08 It's hard to find a place to stay."

01:11 The San Leonardo LGU will declare the eroded site as a danger zone.

01:16 This covers the riverbank up to the main provincial road.

01:20 "We talked to the council and we arrived that this is a danger zone.

01:24 Even if we rehabilitate it, we will not be able to stay."

01:29 The LGU says the notices they issued to residents fell on deaf ears.

01:34 But they admit they also failed to block the construction before.

01:38 "This is a titled land.

01:40 This is our problem.

01:41 The river has already been eaten.

01:42 So it became a title land.

01:43 It's already attached to the houses.

01:44 You can't leave it.

01:45 I don't want to be a part of this.

01:46 I don't want to be a part of this.

01:47 I don't want to be a part of this."

01:48 "If we can't leave, I won't say it's structurally sound because it didn't go through engineering."

01:55 The Public Works Department is fortifying the area with boulders.

01:59 The LGU will also be firmer in enforcing laws this time.

02:03 "What we will do is to make all the dangerous zones, like the basement, etc., be implemented.

02:11 Actually, we already made it happen in other barangays.

02:15 So we will just continue to strictly implement the building permit so we can save the people."

02:26 While there were no reported deaths or injuries, local officials hope residents will consider

02:32 their safety first.

02:33 From San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija, Paige Javier, CNN Philippines.

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