Residents in the area have been ordered to evacuate after the perimeter wall of their compound collapsed due to soil erosion.

Tinga said the city government is now working to provide housing to the displaced residents.

He said he has already secured the commitment of Megaworld Corp., developer of a neighboring property, to help the city government carry out the housing program.

He said the project will be called Taguig Family Townhomes, adding that it will also serve to address the squatting problem.

"There is an urgency of bridging the growing gap between the rich and the poor in our city where the country’s most expensive residential developments are found. One way of achieving this goal is to ensure that this area in Palar is safe for human settlement,’’ Tinga said.

He said under the Taguig Family Townhomes program, the city government will put up affordable clusters of eight-unit buildings in various locations. Each residential unit measures 25 square meters, he said.

Tinga said the cost of each home unit is R150,000. The beneficiaries will pay through an easy financing program with an initial down payment of R5,000. The balance is payable at R600 to R900 monthly for a maximum period of 30 years.

He said some of the units will be subsidized through a fund-raising effort by the local government and non-government organizations supporting the project.

The mayor said donors who give R50,000 and ,000 contribution will personally get to know their beneficiaries.

"We are looking at a one-to-one relationship between the donor and the beneficiary, so they know exactly who will benefit from their generosity. The contribution is not a dole-out, rather it is a down payment that you are making on somebody’s future,’’ Tinga said.