PRESS RELEASE
29 October 2009
Carrying salvaged house wares to symbolize what remain of their lives after the onslaught of Ondoy and Pepeng, labor and urban poor groups led by labor partylist group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) and the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) trooped to the historic Mendiola bridge this morning demanding massive funding for decent housing and to protest the government’s planned forced relocation of poor settlers living in danger zones.
PM chair Renato Magtubo, said without allocating enough funds for building decent houses and safe habitat for the poor, talks about rehabilitation and reconstruction are mere dead words and housing problems cannot be substantially addressed.
The groups are asking the government to declare a moratorium on debt payments to free the funds intended to it for massive rehabilitation and reconstruction program. Citing the latest debt statistics from the Freedom from Debt Coalition, foreign debt service for 2010 amounts to P253.459-B and domestic debt service to about P492.716-B. Government puts the rehabilitation and reconstruction costs to only about P50-B.
Resisting what he described as ‘anti-poor’ prejudice being peddled by the government against the poor, Magtubo turned the table against the failed housing programs of the past and present governments, saying this was the main cause why millions of poor Filipinos are forced to subsist in houses made of light materials and stay in places prone to natural disasters such as floods and man-made disasters such as fires.
Magtubo said further that workers both in the formal and informal sectors whose incomes could not even meet even half of the current cost of living surely do not have the options to live in a less dangerous way, more so for the unemployed.
“Thus, the poor have long been ‘in danger’ living in this kind of miserable conditions,” stressed Magtubo.
Hence, instead of blaming the poor for waiting their deaths in unsafe and inhabitable places, “the government should help them rise with dignity by addressing the housing problem and not by pulling them down further with anti-poor prejudice and threats of government-sponsored forced relocations,” added Magtubo.
The labor leader explained that any relocation plans and new housing program should now be premised on the right to housing of all Filipinos and environmental concerns. “This means that housing units should be built of strong materials but affordable, and placed in areas that are not only safe but also sustainable,” added Magtubo.
The Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino echoed the same position, saying that the usual ‘balik-probinsya’ and the hit and miss, unfunded relocation programs do not solve the problems of the urban poor.
The group cited the case of informal settlers from Manila who were relocated in Marilao and Sta. Maria Bulacan, as well as in Rizal suffering the same miserable conditions as well as devastations from natural calamities such as Ondoy and Pepeng.
Meanwhile, in opposition to the general view that it is the millions of poor who pollute and destroy nature, both PM and AMP point to the bigger roles played by industry owners, mining companies, and land developers in exploiting natural resources and destroying our natural habitat.
Showing posts with label debt moratorium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label debt moratorium. Show all posts
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Manggagawa at maralitang biktima ng kalamidad nagprotesta sa Mendiola
Press Release
October 29, 2009
Dala ang mga sira-sirang damit at kasangkapan na sumisimbolo sa hagupit ng kalamidad, sinugod nang may-ilang daang biktima ng bagyong Ondoy, ang Mendiola para magprotesta laban sa anila’y mata-pobreng pagtrato sa kanila, palpak na programang pabahay ng pamahalaan, at banta ng pwersahang relokasyon.
Pinangunahan ang kilos-protesta ng mga miyembro ng Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) at Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) mula pa sa mga lalawigan ng Rizal, Laguna, at Bulacan. Nauna rito ay nagbanta ang pamahalaan na pwersahang aalisin ang mga maralita sa mga itinuturing na danger zone dahil ang mga iligal na istruktura umano ang bumabara sa mga natural na daluyan ng tubig na siyang dahilan ng malawak na pinsala ng mga pagbaha.
Nanawagan ang mga manggagawa at maralita sa pamahalaan na walang pwersahang demolisyon at relokasyon na dapat isagawa hangga’t walang malinaw at makataong paninirahan na maibibigay sa kanila ang pamahalaan.
Ayon kay Renato Magtubo, tagapangulo ng PM, sa halip na idagan ang mata-pobreng panunumbat sa mga maralita na silang mas malagim na biktima ng kalamidad, mas dapat ibangon di lamang ang nasalanta nilang kabuhayan kundi ang kanilang dignidad sa pamamagitan ng tamang pagtrato sa kanila at pagharap sa totoong problemang kanilang kinasadlakan.
Ang totoo umano, ani Magtubo, ay mas malaki ang kontribusyon ng mga industriya, mining companies, at land developers at kapabayaan ng kasalukuyan at dati pang mga pamahalaan sa pagkasira ng kalikasan.
Idinagdag pa ni Magtubo na lagi-laging nahahantong sa “danger zones” ang mga maralita dahil mismo sa klase ng lugar na kanilang kinalalagyan at klase ng materyales na gamit sa kanilang mga bahay. Kahit saan umanong lugar, walang laban sa hangin at baha, maging sa sunog ang mga barung-barong na gawa sa mga light materials. Ito aniya ang paliwanag kung bakit di itinuturing na nasa danger zone ang mga mansyon, malalaking gusali, at palasyo gaya ng Malacanang sa tabi ng mga ilog dahil ligtas ang mga ito kumpara sa mga barung-barong sa tabi ng mga estero.
Ayon naman kay Romeo Cabugnason, pinuno ng AMP, ang ultimong solusyon dito ay seryosong programa para sa desente at ligtas na pabahay, hindi ang paulit-ulit na ‘balik-probinsya’ program, o relokasyon sa mga undeveloped at inhabitable relocation areas gaya ng naging kaso sa Bulacan.
Naniniwala ang PM at AMP na walang mangyayari sa programang rehabilitasyon at rekonstruksyon hangga’t walang ilalaang malaking pondo para dito ang pamahalaan, laluna’t halos 30% ng pondo ng gubyerno ay napupunta lang sa pambayad ng utang.
Kaya nanawagan ang mga ito na itigil muna ang pagbabayad utang at para matugunan ang lahat ng kinakailangang pondo para sa rehabilitasyon at maisakatuparan ang isang bagong programa na tutugon sa malawak na problema ng kawalan ng desente, ligtas na pabahay at makataong pamumuhay.
October 29, 2009
Dala ang mga sira-sirang damit at kasangkapan na sumisimbolo sa hagupit ng kalamidad, sinugod nang may-ilang daang biktima ng bagyong Ondoy, ang Mendiola para magprotesta laban sa anila’y mata-pobreng pagtrato sa kanila, palpak na programang pabahay ng pamahalaan, at banta ng pwersahang relokasyon.
Pinangunahan ang kilos-protesta ng mga miyembro ng Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) at Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) mula pa sa mga lalawigan ng Rizal, Laguna, at Bulacan. Nauna rito ay nagbanta ang pamahalaan na pwersahang aalisin ang mga maralita sa mga itinuturing na danger zone dahil ang mga iligal na istruktura umano ang bumabara sa mga natural na daluyan ng tubig na siyang dahilan ng malawak na pinsala ng mga pagbaha.
Nanawagan ang mga manggagawa at maralita sa pamahalaan na walang pwersahang demolisyon at relokasyon na dapat isagawa hangga’t walang malinaw at makataong paninirahan na maibibigay sa kanila ang pamahalaan.
Ayon kay Renato Magtubo, tagapangulo ng PM, sa halip na idagan ang mata-pobreng panunumbat sa mga maralita na silang mas malagim na biktima ng kalamidad, mas dapat ibangon di lamang ang nasalanta nilang kabuhayan kundi ang kanilang dignidad sa pamamagitan ng tamang pagtrato sa kanila at pagharap sa totoong problemang kanilang kinasadlakan.
Ang totoo umano, ani Magtubo, ay mas malaki ang kontribusyon ng mga industriya, mining companies, at land developers at kapabayaan ng kasalukuyan at dati pang mga pamahalaan sa pagkasira ng kalikasan.
Idinagdag pa ni Magtubo na lagi-laging nahahantong sa “danger zones” ang mga maralita dahil mismo sa klase ng lugar na kanilang kinalalagyan at klase ng materyales na gamit sa kanilang mga bahay. Kahit saan umanong lugar, walang laban sa hangin at baha, maging sa sunog ang mga barung-barong na gawa sa mga light materials. Ito aniya ang paliwanag kung bakit di itinuturing na nasa danger zone ang mga mansyon, malalaking gusali, at palasyo gaya ng Malacanang sa tabi ng mga ilog dahil ligtas ang mga ito kumpara sa mga barung-barong sa tabi ng mga estero.
Ayon naman kay Romeo Cabugnason, pinuno ng AMP, ang ultimong solusyon dito ay seryosong programa para sa desente at ligtas na pabahay, hindi ang paulit-ulit na ‘balik-probinsya’ program, o relokasyon sa mga undeveloped at inhabitable relocation areas gaya ng naging kaso sa Bulacan.
Naniniwala ang PM at AMP na walang mangyayari sa programang rehabilitasyon at rekonstruksyon hangga’t walang ilalaang malaking pondo para dito ang pamahalaan, laluna’t halos 30% ng pondo ng gubyerno ay napupunta lang sa pambayad ng utang.
Kaya nanawagan ang mga ito na itigil muna ang pagbabayad utang at para matugunan ang lahat ng kinakailangang pondo para sa rehabilitasyon at maisakatuparan ang isang bagong programa na tutugon sa malawak na problema ng kawalan ng desente, ligtas na pabahay at makataong pamumuhay.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Lakeside residents of Binan seek LGU, National Government aid amid miserable state
PRESS RELEASE
Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino
Partido ng Manggagawa
26 October 2009
Residents residing at Barangays Malaban and San Antonio in Biñan Laguna will hold a rally this morning at this town’s Municipal Hall to seek aid from both the local and national government. The two barangays are just part of several barangays that are still under water since the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy that drove lake waters of Laguna De Bay to rise.
The local of Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) in Biñan said food and health conditions in the area are very bad because of lack of safe drinking water and lack of other basic supplies, among others. They also fear of forced relocation being planned by the national government without any assurance that such a plan would lead them to a better habitat.
AMP leaders Mercy Manzo and Elizabeth Mendoza describe their situation in the area as “helpless and miserable” as relief goods are still lacking in most parts of the area and many people have no more means of earning an income unlike before. Many people especially children are also getting sick because of lack of sanitation and safe drinking water.
“We don’t know how we can survive this kind of situation,” Manzo said, adding that without continuing relief operations and alternative places to live, the people around the lake face humanitarian crisis.
The group is asking the local government to formulate a short and long-term solution to this problem, including alternative places where affected residents can live safely. They are also asking for livelihood assistance to recover their means of livelihood that were devastated by Ondoy.
The AMP is also calling on the national government to give due attention to the poor people of Biñan and Laguna rather than blaming them for making themselves the victims of their own desperate situation. The government, specifically the Laguna Lake Development Authority had been blaming the poor settlers for clogging the natural waterways that aggravates flooding.
“There are bigger players to blame such as industry owners, mining companies and land developers who destroy our natural habitats. Why point all your fingers to us?,” complained the AMP leaders.
After the protest action in Laguna, the AMP and the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) will bring their issues to Malacanang in another rally to be held in Mendiola on Thursday, October 29.
The AMP and PM will demand a moratorium on debt payments and massive government funds saved from debt service be allotted for rehabilitation and reconstruction program. “Rehabilitation and reconstruction are dead words without the funds,” stressed the group.
The groups will also press for a new housing program that decisively addresses housing problems -- the main reason why poor settlers are forced to live and face their deaths in “danger zones”. Another demand is for a new, centralized and coordinated land use policy to prevent land developers and miners convert and destroy lands so that the poor can be accorded habitable and sustainable places to live.
Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino
Partido ng Manggagawa
26 October 2009
Residents residing at Barangays Malaban and San Antonio in Biñan Laguna will hold a rally this morning at this town’s Municipal Hall to seek aid from both the local and national government. The two barangays are just part of several barangays that are still under water since the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy that drove lake waters of Laguna De Bay to rise.
The local of Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) in Biñan said food and health conditions in the area are very bad because of lack of safe drinking water and lack of other basic supplies, among others. They also fear of forced relocation being planned by the national government without any assurance that such a plan would lead them to a better habitat.
AMP leaders Mercy Manzo and Elizabeth Mendoza describe their situation in the area as “helpless and miserable” as relief goods are still lacking in most parts of the area and many people have no more means of earning an income unlike before. Many people especially children are also getting sick because of lack of sanitation and safe drinking water.
“We don’t know how we can survive this kind of situation,” Manzo said, adding that without continuing relief operations and alternative places to live, the people around the lake face humanitarian crisis.
The group is asking the local government to formulate a short and long-term solution to this problem, including alternative places where affected residents can live safely. They are also asking for livelihood assistance to recover their means of livelihood that were devastated by Ondoy.
The AMP is also calling on the national government to give due attention to the poor people of Biñan and Laguna rather than blaming them for making themselves the victims of their own desperate situation. The government, specifically the Laguna Lake Development Authority had been blaming the poor settlers for clogging the natural waterways that aggravates flooding.
“There are bigger players to blame such as industry owners, mining companies and land developers who destroy our natural habitats. Why point all your fingers to us?,” complained the AMP leaders.
After the protest action in Laguna, the AMP and the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) will bring their issues to Malacanang in another rally to be held in Mendiola on Thursday, October 29.
The AMP and PM will demand a moratorium on debt payments and massive government funds saved from debt service be allotted for rehabilitation and reconstruction program. “Rehabilitation and reconstruction are dead words without the funds,” stressed the group.
The groups will also press for a new housing program that decisively addresses housing problems -- the main reason why poor settlers are forced to live and face their deaths in “danger zones”. Another demand is for a new, centralized and coordinated land use policy to prevent land developers and miners convert and destroy lands so that the poor can be accorded habitable and sustainable places to live.
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