MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 35 - CREATING A TASK FORCE ON RIGHT-OF-WAY (ROW) ACQUISITION TO ENSURE SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS, IF NOT RESOLUTION, OF EXISTING ROW/SQUATTER PROBLEMS

In line with efforts to further improve the country's Official Development Assistance (ODA) absorptive capacity, a Task Force on Right-of-Way (ROW) Acquisition is hereby created to be chaired by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), with the Office of the President (OP), Presidential Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Justice (DOJ), concerned Local Government Units (LGUs), Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), as members.  

The Task Force shall have the following functions:

1. Formulate a crash action program for each ROW/squatter relocation case, taking into account existing measures being undertaken by concerned agencies to resolve the problem(s). The Task Force shall initially cover eight (8) cases involving problems on ROW and/or and squatter relocation projects within Metro Manila;  

2. Oversee the implementation of the crash action program;

3. Undertake appropriate action to facilitate the resolution of the problem(s);

4. Call upon any agency or instrumentality of Government to undertake and/or assist in the resolution of issues; and

5. Recommend institutional/policy changes and mechanism to avoid and/or deal with similar ROW/squatter relocation program.

Since 19.07.98.