Vice President hails CMP

Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Chairman Noli de Castro hailed the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) of the government as it proved to be the means of providing shelter to millions of poor Filipinos.

"The CMP implementation is a difficult job but it’s serving our poor and homeless countrymen very well," said De Castro, who awarded individualized mother titles to 70 fully-paid beneficiaries of a CMP project in Antipolo City, Rizal the other day.

"With CMP, we’re shooting three birds with one stone. First, we eliminate the rift between landowners and informal settlers. Second, we solve the illegal squatting problem. And lastly, we provide the poor with the chance to have house and lots that they call their own," De Castro said.

Under the CMP, settlers illegally occupying private lands are required to form into an organized community to negotiate with the landowner for the purchase of the property. If both parties agree at a reasonable price, the government, through the National Home Mortgage and Finance Corp. (NHMFC), lends the money to the community in order to buy the land from the owner.

"This wonderful scheme makes everybody happy," De Castro said during the awarding ceremonies.

It took 10 years of responsible payment of dues to the NHMFC for the 70 new and proud landowners representing the 347 CMP beneficiaries in Barangay Dalig in Antipolo before they finally got their land titles.

DoH warns on other rainy season ailments

Aside from dengue fever, leptospirosis, and food- and water-borne diseases, the Department of Health (DoH) advised the public to take precautionary measures against other ailments that commonly occur during the rainy season.

The DoH said "colds, cough, flu, and other respiratory diseases are most common at this time of the year because floods and the increased moisture in the atmosphere tend to increase the presence of bacterias and viruses in the air."

Dr. Luningning Villa, DoH program manager for infectious diseases, said "an individual can easily get infected with colds, cough, flu, and other respiratory problems through inhalation of droplets in the air that are released when an infected person sneezes, talks, or coughs."

"Gastrointestinal problems and skin infections are also common at this time of the year," Villa said.

The DoH reminded the public to take preventive measures against common rainy season ailments which include drinking plenty of fluids, taking adequate rest, eating nutritious foods, staying indoors during bad weather, boiling drinking water, practicing good hygiene, frequent hand washing, and wearing protective clothing and footwear when going outdoors during bad weather and continuously cleaning the environment. (Christina I. Hermoso)

Resolution for Metropolitan Quezon Council approved

This can raise the eyebrows of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando.

Recently, the Quezon City Council approved the proposed resolution calling on Congress to create a Metropolitan Quezon Authority.

Sponsored by Quezon City District 2 Councilor Winston "Winnie" Castelo, the resolution aims to restructure six eastern areas of Greater Metro Manila. These are Quezon City, San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan; Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal; San Mateo, Rizal; Marikina City, and Antipolo City, Rizal into a more balanced community with the goal of expanding opportunities to create a self-contained, self-sufficient region.

If Congress approves the proposed formation of the body, the Quezon City Council is inclined to lobby for Quezon City Mayor Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte Jr. to be the authority’s first governor, Castelo said.

According to Castelo, the contiguous localities have specific concerns and particular needs for development and these could be hastened only through the creation of the Metropolitan Quezon Authority.

Castelo said the authority will ease the perennial problems confronting the six areas such as traffic complexities, garbage collection and disposal, and the creation of a space for commercial and industrial expansion absent in Metro Manila.

Furthermore, Castelo said the body will enhance the economic performance of these adjacent localities by addressing their particular problems in growth and development.

"Basically, the authority would decentralize imperial Manila to the countryside and usher growth and prosperity in the areas aside from bringing the government closer to the people," he said.

The approved resolution was based on Article 10, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution that provides for local government units to group themselves and consolidate or coordinate efforts, services, and resources for purposes commonly beneficial in accordance with law.