Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso awarded a housing unit at Tondominium 1 to Jessie Boy Postrero, a resident of Smokey Mountain who had long struggled to secure permanent housing for his family.
This after Felisa Esquivel gave up her Tondominium 1 unit after her family’s fortunes improved, allowing them to move to a new home.
The city refunded her ₱51,350, covering all Esquivel’s monthly payments while residing in the public housing project.
“Dahil sa pag-angat sa buhay, kusa nang lumipat ng ibang bahay si Ginang Esquivel.”
“Dahil sa pag-angat sa buhay, kusa nang lumipat ng ibang bahay si Ginang Esquivel,” Domagoso said.
With Esquivel’s departure, the mayor said that the vacated unit would be awarded to Postrero, who had previously applied for the city’s housing program but was not selected in the raffle draw for beneficiaries.
Postrero earlier told Domagoso about the harsh living conditions his family endured in Smokey Mountain, where they rented space in an illegal structure and relied on unsafe water sources.
“Ngayon, may masisilungan na kayong buong pamilya — 2-bedroom, may banyo, at kusina — aalagaan ninyo na lang.”
“Ngayon, may masisilungan na kayong buong pamilya — 2-bedroom, may banyo, at kusina — aalagaan ninyo na lang. Hindi na kayo squatter ngayon, may sarili na kayong tahanan,” Domagoso told Postrero.
Tondominium I, a 15-storey building completed on February 7, 2022 after construction began on June 1, 2020, is one of Manila’s flagship public housing projects.
The development houses 168 units, each 42 square meters with two bedrooms, supported by amenities such as two elevators, a day care center, playground, livelihood center, parking slots, maintenance room, and a city satellite office.
The program is guided by Ordinance No. 8730, which declared the city’s policy “to progressively promote the right of Manileños to an adequate and dignified standard of living including access to decent and affordable housing.”
Under the measure, minimum wage earners pay a monthly rent of ₱2,000 for both horizontal and vertical housing units.
The fees are remitted to the Manila Urban Settlement Office for proper accounting, while all projects have a 50-year length of stay, with renewal allowed only for townhouse or single-detached housing units subject to agreement by the parties.
