Rapid urbanization in the Philippines is seen in the megacity of Metro Manila, a metropolitan area comprising 17 cities and municipalities where the population has increased from under 2.5 million in 1964 to over 12 million in 2000. Metro Manila, growing at 3.3 percent annually, is a major economic engine of growth that contributes approximately 30 percent of the gross national product. At the same time, over 20 percent of the population are living either below or near the poverty line; 35 percent reside in informal slum settlements,3 many of which are gateways to a continuous influx of poor rural migrants. The settlements’ growth and demand for services have overwhelmed the capacity of the government and NGOs to effectively respond. Resettlement programs that have attempted to relocate the urban poor to remote sites away from established sources of livelihood have generally failed.
