ILOILO City – Around 180 families in Barangay San Pedro, Molo district are being prepared for relocation to make way for Iloilo City’s planned 7,000-square-meter justice hub that will bring major courts and prosecution offices into one government complex.
The affected families have already undergone an orientation by the Iloilo City Local Housing Office (ICLHO) on their transfer to Barangay San Isidro, Jaro district as the city moves toward clearing the proposed site for the new Hall of Justice and prosecution complex.
ICLHO head Atty. Peter Jason Millare said families who qualify for relocation will each receive a 50-square-meter lot in San Isidro and P10,000 in financial assistance from the city government.
The orientation brought together the 180 affected families, Barangay San Pedro officials and representatives of the city government as preparations for the major government infrastructure project advance.
Millare said the activity was conducted to make sure the families understand where they will be transferred, the relocation procedure and the assistance available to them.
“We want the affected families to understand the relocation arrangements, particularly where they will be transferred and what assistance the city government will provide,” explained Millare.
Under agreements involving the city government, Supreme Court and Department of Justice (DOJ), 4,000 square meters of the property will be allocated for the construction of a new Hall of Justice.
The remaining 3,000 square meters will be developed into a prosecution complex that will accommodate the Regional, Provincial and City Prosecutors’ Offices.
The Iloilo City Council earlier authorized Mayor Raisa Treñas to enter into agreements with the Supreme Court and DOJ covering the development of the facilities and eventual donation of the designated portions of the property.
Once completed, the justice hub is expected to consolidate major judicial and prosecutorial offices in one location, creating a dedicated government center for court and prosecution services in Iloilo City.
For the families who must leave San Pedro, however, Millare said the immediate priority is ensuring that they are properly informed and given an opportunity to clarify concerns before relocation begins.
“It is important that before the relocation, the families are properly oriented and informed about the process and the assistance that they will receive,” Millare said./PN
