Players in urban informal land markets; who wins? who loses? A case study of Cebu City

Environment and Urbanization

Volumn 8, Issue 2, 1996, Pages 71-89

  Thirkell, Allyson J ^a  

^a International Division of Oxfam ^*  (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DEVELOPING COUNTRY; HOUSING; HOUSING LAND; INFORMAL SETTLEMENT; LAND MARKET; LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLD; RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION; URBAN ECONOMY;

PHILIPPINES, CENTRAL VISAYAS, CEBU, CEBU CITY;

EID: 0030390646     PISSN: 09562478     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/095624789600800213     Document Type: Article

References (30)

1. "Informal" land in this context refers to land for which the occupier has no legal documentation of ownership such as a title or any approval from the legal owner to occupy the land.
2. Baross, Paul and Jan van der Linden (1990), The Transformation of Land Supply Systems in Third World Cities, Avebury, Aldershot;
3. also Ward, Peter, Jiménez, Edith and Gareth Jones (1993), "Residential land price changes in Mexican cities and the affordability of land for low-income groups" in Urban Studies Vol.30, No.9, pages 1521-1542.
4. Doebele, William A. (1994), "Urban land and macroeconomic development, moving from 'access for the poor' to unban productivity" in Gareth Jones and Peter Ward (editors), Methodology for Land and Housing Market Analysis, UCL Press, London, pages 44-54.
5. Thirkell, Allyson (1993) The Informal Land Market, Cebu City, Draft UN Report, page 1.
6. Caretakers are often used by landowners to safeguard the land and prevent invasion by squatters. They may be appointed by the owner or have a loose link with a relative or friend of the owner. Although caretakers are present to safeguard land they are often involved in its occupation and sale, acting as land agents.
7. Informal land transactions are based not on the sale of the title but on the sale of land use "rights". Rights to land are usually established through occupation and use of the land. Thus, in Cebu, informal farmers are often the original traders of land at the urban periphery as they have established informal rights through use and occupancy of the land, which becomes tantamount to ownership. These rights entitle the purchaser to occupy, develop or sell the property. However, it is often understood by the seller and the buyer that the legal title may belong to a third party unconnected with the informal seller and, therefore, the buyer may at some point risk eviction by the legal owner. The informal market (including land brokers, occupiers and consumers) thus refers to the passing on and sale of "rights" and it is common to hear people asking for the location of the "right", its boundary and the price as an accepted and tangible commodity within the informal land market.
8. See reference 3, page 53.
9. In 1991/92, when the survey was conducted, the poverty threshold for Region VII for an average family of five was a monthly income of 3,699 pesos (US$ 134.6) (NEDA, 1992).
10. In 1991, US$ 1.00 = 27.479 pesos (EIU, Country Profile 1994-1995, page 11).
11. Camella Homes Price Guides, Cebu City: May and December 1991.
12. See reference 9.
13. The barangay is the smallest political unit in the Philippines and is administered by a locally elected barangay captain.
14. In 1989, US$1.00 = 21.737 pesos (EIU, Country Profile 1994-95, page 11).
15. Ejidal land in Mexico is communally owned land over which peasant communities have agricultural rights. Individual peasant farmers (ejidatarios) are not allowed to sell their land parcels although these may be left to heirs. Although theoretically inalienable, these lands are regularly sold off by ejidatarios or elected leaders; see Ward, Peter, Jiménez, Edith and Gareth Jones (1994), "Measuring residential land price changes and affordability" in Gareth Jones and Peter Ward (editors) (1994), Methodology for Land and Housing MarketAnalysis, UCL Press, London, page 160.
16. See reference 2, Ward, Jiménez and Jones (1993), page 1539.
17. It is interesting to note that the prindpal working team originated from outside the settlement hence their need for accommodation. In fact, community members were involved in shellcraft production but worked from home on a piece-work basis.
18. Benjamin, S. (1991), Jobs, Land and Urban Development: the Economic Success of Small Manufacturers in East Delhi, India, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge, Mass.
19. Rodell M.J., (1983), "Sites and services and low-income housing in R.J. Skinner and M.J. Rodell (editors), People, Poverty and Shelter: Problems of Self-Help Housing in the Third World, Methuen, London and New York, pages 21-52.
20. See reference 17.
21. See reference 3, page 47.
22. See reference 14, Ward, Jiménez and Jones (1994), page 167.
23. See reference 21.
24. Baross, Paul (1983), "The articulation of land supply for popular settlements in Third World cities in Shlomo Angel, Raymond W. Archer, Sidhijai Tanphiphat and Emiel A. Wegelin (editors) (1983), Land for Housing the Poor, Select Books, Singapore.
25. See reference 2, Ward, Jiménez and Jones (1993); also reference 14, Ward, Jiménez and Jones (1994).
26. Land pawning known as prenda is common practice in the Philippines, particularly in rural areas. Titled and untitled lots are often pawned to raise money for household needs. However, these arrangements are often extremely informal and, in the absence of a title or formal agreement, lead to ownership disputes. Many households complain that it is common to lose land occupancy rights through such agreements which are impossible to record through formal registration procedures; see Nagarajan, Geetha, David, Cristina, C. and Richard L. Meyer (1992), "Informal finance through land pawning contracts: evidence from the Philippines" in The Journal of Development Studies Vol.29, No.1, pages 93-107.
27. Sari-sari stores are common throughout the Philippines, selling small quantities of assorted goods such as cigarettes, bread, tinned foods and, often, beer.
28. Personal communication, 1992.
29. Land pricing is commonly evaluated according to the plot per se rather than to its actual size. Plots are rarely measured accurately but are estimated more loosely according to rough area, location and nature of seller. By and large, small differences in plots are not taken into account.
30. See reference 14, Ward, Jiménez and Jones (1994), page 175.