Thirty-Two Families Prepare for a Different Kind of Morning
GENERAL SANTOS CITY - For 32 families from Purok Dagohoy in Barangay North, a send-off ceremony marked more than a scheduled move. It signaled the beginning of life in a new community after their homes were affected by the Esplanade Riverbank Project. The City Housing and Land Management Office (CHLMO), under the City Government of General Santos, facilitated the send-off before the families proceeded to GENSAN CARES, short for Gensan – Community for Affordable, Resilient, Environmentally Friendly Shelter. The occasion places attention on the people behind a major city project: families whose relocation becomes part of the city’s broader effort to manage land, housing, and urban development alongside community needs.
A Housing Program With a Practical Purpose
GENSAN CARES is particularly notable for the way its name describes the intended character of the housing initiative: affordable, resilient, and environmentally friendly shelter. For the families moving from Purok Dagohoy, that concept becomes tangible through a new residential setting rather than remaining simply a program description. The CHLMO’s work in 2026 has also included activities connected with housing and land management, including coordination with the National Housing Authority on proposed housing initiatives and site inspections for relocation areas for earthquake-affected families. These separate activities show the office handling housing concerns across several fronts, from land coordination and profiling to relocation planning and assistance for households affected by changing or hazardous conditions.
A Fresh Start Within a Changing General Santos
The send-off also offers a human perspective on the Esplanade Riverbank Project. Infrastructure and land-use projects can reshape familiar surroundings, but relocation programs determine how affected households make that transition. In this case, 32 families are moving forward through a city-supported housing arrangement under GENSAN CARES. The city’s housing office has been involved in post-disaster needs assessment, land-management discussions, household profiling, and proposed relocation work during 2026. The Dagohoy families’ move therefore forms part of a larger housing conversation in General Santos—one that involves finding suitable places for families while the city continues developing public spaces, managing land, and addressing the need for safer and more organized communities.
