IT’S a striking view from a
distance, clean rows of brightly colored houses in alternating pastel hues,
standing proud against the rice paddies that surround it. Up close you see how
each house has a unique character of its own, with differently decorated
porches, some with small gardens and patches of grass, others with picket
fences and screen doors, there are even a few Sari-sari Stores and signs for
businesses and livelihood: tailors, repairmen, food vendors.
This fledgling new community has been
named the Iloilo River Plains Subdivision and it houses Ilonggo families who
used to be informal settlers around our city.
In the past few years, we’ve seen the
flourish and development of the Iloilo River, the introduction of the Iloilo
River Esplanade - a park that runs along the length of the river, the
construction of new ports and an effort to improve the ones we already have, a
continuing endeavour to halt pollution, and most notably the removal of shanty
houses and informal settlements that have clustered on different areas near the
riverbanks of our city.
Jojie Depita and her family of eight
used to live at San Jose, Molo near the Old City Slaughterhouse and across the
newly built Iloilo Medical City. There she and her husband, a laborer,
struggled to find means to provide for their large family in a cramped and
narrow house, raised out of the river’s grimy waters only by stilts.
Manang Jojie and her family was first
faced with the need to relocate in 2012 when it was announced that their humble
dwelling was scheduled to be demolished. She had always feared that this day
would come and try as they could, their meagre resources couldn’t survive the
blow of losing a home.
Luckily, they we’re given a chance to
start anew, to be a recipient of the city’s newest housing project that catered
to those displaced by the development of the Iloilo River. They were one of
nearly a thousand other families given this new opportunity.
Though it’s been nearly two
years since they transferred, Manang Jojie admits that each new day is still an
adjustment process. Far from the bustle of the city and fare being expensive,
her family and most other residents are wary of travelling from their
community.
This is why Jojie has decided to just
watch over her children while her husband earns a living as a carpenter in the
city. Many others report a difficulty in finding livelihood so far from
Iloilo’s business hubs. The closest public school is in the next town,
requiring children to travel by tricycle, but in most cases to walk, nearly a
kilometre just to attend their classes during weekdays. For a time people
feared using their areas’ deep well water supply, as it was reported to be
contaminated.
Lanit continues to flourish in all its
bright color, the mere sight of it is enough to inspire the curiosity of any
passer-by, and the families that call this their new home, nearly a thousand
strong, make the village radiate even brighter.
Photos by Chalcedon Sañor
