Urban poor protest Cavite mayor’s intrusion into mass housing project

Informal settlers protest at GMA, Cavite municipal hall

Urban poor protest Cavite mayor’s intrusion into mass housing project

More than a hundred informal settlers in the town of General Mariano Alvarez (GMA), Cavite protested yesterday the interference of the mayor in a mass housing project being implemented by the National Housing Authority (NHA). The GMA residents held a march from their community in Quarry Hills in Barangay Dacin to the NHA office and finally at the municipal hall.

“We demand that Mayor Walter Echevarria cease and desist from obstructing the smooth completion of the housing project handled by the NHA that will benefit some 300 families in Quarry Hills. We call on the Mayor to allow the ongoing validation and verification of actual occupancy that is part of the NHA’s process for socialized housing,” asserted Jun Labrador, leader of the GMA informal settlers.

The day before, the mayor had ordered a stop to the validation and verification being done by NHA personnel at the Quarry Hills community. “We even heard from reliable sources that Mayor Echevarria  verbally abused the NHA project manager in his fit of anger,” Labrador insisted.

The protesters at the GMA municipal hall called on Mayor Echevarria for a dialogue but instead it was his daughter, Councilor Maricel E. Torres , who is running in the coming election as the vice mayor of his re-electionist father, who came down to meet the Quarry Hills informal settlers.

“We agreed to Councilor Torres’ proposal for a meeting of all the interested parties at the Quarry Hills site even as we insisted that such a meeting should not stop nor delay the ongoing validation and verification phase of the housing project,” Labrador argued.

Ramil Cangayo, chair of the Cavite chapter of the party-list group Partido Manggagawa (PM), which is assisting the Quarry Hills residents in their fight for housing rights, averred that “The LGU should not interfere in the project implementation since it is entirely the mandate of the NHA. For the LGU to interfere is to overstep its bounds and is tantamount to abuse of authority.’

He explained that the Quarry Hills informal settlers had already struggled too long to secure their tenure rights to the 3.7 hectare public land. “As early as 2002, the NHA had issued memorandum circular 1754 awarding the land to the informal settlers on Quarry Hills. In 2006, the LGU had already approved the subdivision plan for the onsite housing project. Justice delayed is justice denied. Kung totoo ang tuwid na daan, matagal na sanang nakamit ang katiyakan sa paninirahan ng mga taga-Quarry Hills,” Cangayao stated.

PM vowed to support the Quarry Hills residents in the ongoing dispute and their fight to secure affordable housing. “The protest yesterday is not the first nor the last. Tuloy ang laban hanggang maipanalo ang katiyakan sa paninirahan. Accessible housing for the poor is a key part of PM’s demand for sufficient social services. Along with our call for cheap prices of goods and utilities, decent wages and job security, these constitute PM’s Apat na Dapat platform for workers and the poor,” Cangayao clarified.

October 30, 2015

Partido Manggagawa

Bacoor urban poor rally against demolition threat

Press Release

April 8, 2015

Some 100 members of four urban poor groups based in Brgy. Longos, Bacoor, Cavite held a protest rally yesterday against the threat of demolitions due to private and public projects in their communities. The militant Partido Manggagawa is supporting the urban poor fight for decent housing and livelihood.

Tonette Fajanilan, an urban poor leader and a Partido Manggagawa coordinator in Bacoor, said that “Inclusive growth should mean the right to affordable housing and the provision of social cost into the project cost of public development plans. We hope for a negotiated settlement to the threat of demolition so that there is no mis-encounter moreso a bloody war. We do not oppose social progress but we demand that social justice be integral to development.”

The urban poor marched from a nearby assembly point to the Bacoor municipal trial court (MTC). They picketed while an MTC hearing was held on the eviction case against 23 families living in a lot claimed by a brother of Bacoor Mayor Strike Revilla. The lot is near the proposed LRT depot and station in Bacoor.

The 23 families in the rally were joined by other Bacoor residents who are affected by the LRT project and the clean up of the Manila Bay that was ordered by the Supreme Court in a writ of mandamus. The Supreme Court on December 18, 2008, issued a writ of continuing mandamus directing 13 government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate and eventually preserve Manila Bay within 10 years. Meanwhile the LRT extension line from Baclaran, Paranaque to Bacoor, Cavite has been awarded to an Ayala consortium.

“This is not just a fight for housing but also for livelihood. In our communities, we have not just built our simple homes but also our informal jobs. The problem of informal settlers is intertwined with the question of lack of jobs,” explained Fajanilan.

She added that “Our appeal for affordable housing and decent jobs is not much specially in comparison to the multibillion costs of development projects like the LRT extension and Manila Bay cleanup. We believe our fight is in line with the challenge of Pope Francis to reform the structures that perpetuate poverty and exclusion of the poor.”

Social protection network pushes for agenda-based ‘13 polls

KAMP
PRESS RELEASE
08 October 2012

After an annoying week of ‘circus’ at the Commission on Elections, a network of grassroots organizations campaigning for social protection is pressing for a more empowering, agenda-based conduct of the 2013 national and local elections. In a “Caravan of Electoral Agenda” organised this morning by the Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (KAMP), a priority list of social policy agenda was presented in public as the campaign network plans to make active intervention in next year’s polls.

The list includes the agenda on:
Decent work and guaranteed employment
Universal Health Care
Humane housing and the right to the city, and
De-privatization of essential services

“Political campaigns in the past insult the intelligence of people, candidates entertain us with song and dance numbers and empty promises. Unholy alliances among parties show that winning is more important than presenting clear and coherent programs,” declared KAMP lead convenor, Ana Maria R. Nemenzo, adding that “It’s time to make our elections agenda-based.”

The KAMP caravan with some 300 representatives coming from communities of the network made its first stop at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) where workers demanded full compliance to government’s obligation to promote the workers’ rights and provide full employment to all Filipino workers.

“Yesterday was the World Day for Decent Work.  The celebration was obviously empty here in the Philippines where contractual/outsourced jobs dominate the industries while more and more members of the labor force are trapped in chronic unemployment and underemployment problems,” said Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) chair, Renato Magtubo.  He likewise called on the government to formulate a public employment program that can offer guaranteed public jobs for the millions of unemployed.

From the labor department, KAMP members proceeded to the Comelec where they handed a letter to Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes, requesting the poll body to organize a series of national debate among the candidates on the said policy agenda. Nemenzo said the Comelec is in the best position to organize this national debate, “so that candidates can also be given a fair chance to explain their position on those particular issues.”  She added that better still if the poll body can organize the same at the local level to bring it closer to the people.

Magtubo on his part explained that, “A national debate is thought-provoking and participatory, and therefore will be more empowering compared to sugar-coated political ads created by spin masters.”

From the poll body, the caravan headed toward the Department of Health office in Manila where KAMP members called for more radical reforms in the country’s health care system which they said, needs to institutionalize the principle and programs of primary health care to attend to people’s health needs at the onset, before they even reach the hospital. Nemenzo pointed out that in Cuba “hospitals are considered just a step away from the cemetery.”

The group said the KP program remains limited as the system merely converges with the government’s targeted conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, and therefore is not universal.  “KAMP is pushing for a system where quality health care is accessible and available to anyone, anytime, anywhere,” explained Nemenzo, who is also the leader of WomanHealth Philippines.

The caravan’s last leg was at the National Housing Authority (NHA) where the demand for on-site/in-city housing program is being pushed by urban poor groups.

Bubuy Magahis, coordinator of Kilos Maralita said, “The present off-site relocation program denies the poor the right to the city.  Cities are not only for the 1% and the middle class.  The poor have the right to be with them and the State has the obligation to ensure that city spaces, including parks, are mutually shared by all its citizens whose majority in fact happens to be the poor.”

Tucuma residents welcome suspension of demolitions but wants moratorium extended till housing program reformed

Press Release

April 28, 2012

Tucuma Federation

The residents of the depressed community of Tucuma in Barangay Merville, Parañaque who have been preparing to fight off an eviction heaved a sigh of relief and welcomed the temporary suspension of demolitions ordered by DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo hours after they held a rally and sought a dialogue with his office yesterday.

“We however call on Sec. Robredo to extend the moratorium till the housing and even jobs policy of the government is reviewed and reformed,” Ramil Asturias, Tucuma Federation president said. This was in reaction to reports that the suspension will only last until the regulations on demolitions are assessed and affirmed.

Leaders of Tucuma Federation together with residents of NIA compound in Quezon City and West Bicutan who face similar land disputes staged the rally and were met with a DILG official named Clarion Paz-Tanghal who received the letter on behalf of Sec. Robredo. Asturias appealed to Robredo to facilitate negotiations between Tucuma Federation, the landowner Molave Development Corporation and Parañaque  Mayor Florencio Bernabe.

Renato Magtubo, Partido ng Manggagawa chairperson, supported Asturias’ position and said that “Suspending demolitions until new rules are drafted merely scratches the surface of the problem. The government needs to address the root cause of lack of housing for the poor. The housing program is tied up with the jobs and wages policy. The low wages in the country, as attested by a recent report of the ILO, means that the poor have barely enough income for food much less rent or amortization on housing.”

Magtubo announced that a long march or Lakbayan from Calabarzon to Manila will be held on the eve of Labor Day and banner the call “Stop to demolitions, Housing and jobs for all.” Some 400 workers, youth and poor from Cavite, Laguna and Batangas will march from Zapote early in the morning of April 30 then merge with a contingent from Metro Manila by 3:00 p.m. in Baclaran and stay overnight at the Holy Trinity Church in Balic-Balic. On May 1, the “Lakbayan para sa Pabahay at Trabaho” will join the huge 20,000-strong “historic” rally by the newly-formed Nagkaisa, which unites the country’s major labor center for the first time since the 1980’s.

Magtubo revealed that the number of informal settlers was estimated at half a million families by a HUDCC study in 2007 while the housing backlog is assumed to be 3.7 million units. “Tucuma’s fight is the fight of all. Decent housing is a right not a privilege of all Filipinos. Violent evictions must be prohibited. Land disputes must be resolved through negotiations without the threat of violence, deceit or bribery. Residents must be relocated to better living conditions to ensure that negotiations end peacefully in agreement,” he insisted.

Parañaque residents vow to defend community as Mayor says demolition to proceed today

Press Release

April 26, 2012

Tucuma Federation

Residents of a Parañaque community vowed to defend their homes as City Mayor Florencio “Jun” Bernabe declared that the scheduled demolition today will proceed. The possibility of another violent eviction follows the bloody demolition at Silverio compound last Monday in which one resident was killed and scores were arrested. Ramil Asturias, president of the Tucuma Federation, said that “We have lived peacefully here for years but will resist any attempt to forcible evict us from our homes.”

The Tucuma Federation represents some 1,000 families living in the depressed community of Tucuma in Barangay Merville. A hundred Tucuma Federation members rallied at the Parañaque City Hall yesterday in a last-minute appeal but Mayor Bernabe snubbed the call for a dialogue. In news reports, Mayor Bernabe averred that he cannot do anything as it is a court-ordered demolition. After the Tucuma members returned home from the city hall rally, they began preparations for defending their homes against demolition.

“Mayor Bernabe’s character is revealed by his double standard. He says that his hands are tied by the court order for a demolition yet he refuses lift a finger to enforce a city ordinance mandating the expropriation of the disputed land. It is in Mayor Bernabe’s power to set aside the demolition as the affected residents are also the beneficiaries of the expropriation ordinance,” Asturias explained.

The Tucuma Federation is demanding the implementation of City Ordinance 0013 s. 2000 expropriating the disputed land and asking that Mayor Bernabe refile the expropriation case on the property owner. The Molave Development Corp. headed by a certain Cynthia Tinitigan is claiming ownership of the disputed land which is less than one hectare big.

The Tucuma Federation expressed solidarity with the Silverio residents, condemned the deadly force used on Monday’s demolition and demands a moratorium on demolitions. “Heads must roll for the death of one resident from police gunfire and the brutality accompanying the arrest of scores protesters,” asserted Ramil Cangayao, spokesperson of the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP). The Tucuma Federation is an affiliate of the AMP which is an alliance of urban poor associations in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon.

Meanwhile Renato Magtubo, Partido ng Manggagawa national chair, asserted that “Violent evictions must be prohibited. Land disputes must be resolved through negotiations without the threat of violence, deceit or bribery. Residents must be relocated to better living conditions to ensure that negotiations end peacefully in agreement.” Magtubo explained that one of the demands of the coming Labor Day rally is a moratorium on demolitions.

Parañaque residents rally against demolition

Press Release

April 25, 2012

Tucuma Federation

More than 100 residents of a community in Parañaque staged a rally at the city hall this morning to call for a stop to the scheduled demolition of their homes tomorrow. In the face of the violent eviction at the Silverio compound last Monday, another demolition has been scheduled tomorrow at the Tucuma community at Barangay Merville in Parañaque.

Ramil Asturias, president of the Tucuma Federation has vowed that “We will defend our community where some 1,000 urban poor families reside. It is in the hands of Mayor Florencio ‘Jun’ Bernabe whether a peaceful resolution of the land dispute or another violent confrontation occurs at Tucuma.”

Aside from a stop to the scheduled demolition, the Tucuma Federation also called for the implementation of City Ordinance 0013 s. 2000 expropriating the disputed land and asked that Mayor Bernabe refile the expropriation case on the property owner. The Molave Development Corp. headed by a certain Cynthia Tinitigan is claiming ownership of the disputed land which is less than one hectare big.

“We ask that Mayor Bernabe make a political decision to set aside the demolition order since the affected residents are also the beneficiaries of the expropriation ordinance that has long remained unenforced,” Asturias explained.

The Tucuma Federation likewise condemned the deadly force used on Silverio residents and demands a moratorium on demolitions. “Heads must roll for the death of one resident from police gunfire and the brutality accompanying the arrest of scores protesters,” said Ramil Cangayao, spokesperson of the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP). The Tucuma Federation is an affiliate of the AMP which is an alliance of urban poor associations in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon.

Meanwhile Renato Magtubo, Partido ng Manggagawa national chair, asserted that “Violent evictions must be prohibited. Land disputes must be resolved through negotiations without the threat of violence, deceit or bribery. Residents must be relocated to better living conditions to ensure that negotiations end peacefully in agreement.”

Magtubo explained that one of the demands of the coming Labor Day rally is a moratorium on demolitions. Some 20,000 workers and urban poor under the umbrella of the newly-formed Nagkaisa will march along Espana to Mendiola to highlight the issues of job contractualization, low wages, high prices of oil and power and violent demolitions, among others. Some 40 labor organizations established the Nagkaisa, among them the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Federation of Free Workers, Alliance of Progressive Labor and PM.

Urban poor group condemns violent Paranaque demolition, use of deadly force

Press Release

April 24, 2012

Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino

The urban poor group Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) and the labor party Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) condemned the violent demolition at the Silverio Compound in Paranaque and assailed the use of deadly force by the police. “Heads must roll for the death of one resident from police gunfire and the brutality accompanying the arrest of scores protesters,” said Ramil Cangayao, spokesperson of the AMP. AMP is an alliance of urban poor associations in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon.

Meanwhile Renato Magtubo, PM national chair, asserted that “Violent evictions must be prohibited. Land disputes must be resolved through negotiations without the threat of violence, deceit or bribery. Residents must be relocated to better living conditions to ensure that negotiations end peacefully in agreement.”

Cangayao expressed the fear that violence may erupt once more in Paranaque since another demolition has been scheduled on Thursday at the Tucuma community in Barangay Merville. Ramil Asturias, president of the Tucuma Federation, declared that they will defend their community from any attempt at demolition.

The Tucuma residents are planning a rally at the Paranaque city hall tomorrow to appeal for a stop to the scheduled demolition. Tucuma Federation is an affiliate of the AMP.

Magtubo explained that one of the demands of the coming Labor Day rally is a moratorium on demolitions. Some 20,000 workers and urban poor under the umbrella of the newly-formed Nagkaisa will march along Espana to Mendiola to highlight the issues of job contractualization, low wages, high prices of oil and power and violent demolitions, among others. Some 40 labor organizations established the Nagkaisa, among them the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Federation of Free Workers, Alliance of Progressive Labor and PM.

Violence, demolition threaten Calamba community

Press Release

May 29, 2011

Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino

Shots were fired and stones were hurled at the houses of two leaders of an urban poor community that is being threatened by demolition. The incidents happened late night of Friday as residents of a community at Purok 3, Barangay Makiling in Calamba, Laguna were resting and sleeping.

“We call on Mayor Jun Chipeco of Calamba and newly reappointed DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo to assist the urban poor of Calamba who are being threatened by an illegal demolition,” stated Ramil Cangayo, coordinator of the Calabarzon chapter of Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP), a national network of urban poor organizations that is campaigning for a moratorium on demolitions, reforms in the housing policy and housing security of informal settlers.

At 11:45 pm last Friday three shots were fired at a light bulb in the house of Zeny Martirez, treasurer of the Samahang Magkakapitbahay Magkakaibigan Kapuso (SMMK). The shards fell on the face of her child who sustained injuries. The family recovered two bullet fragments inside their house. Earlier at 10:00 pm stones were thrown at the house of Mike Brendes, auditor of the group. Martirez and Brendes filed a report at the barangay yesterday about the incidents. SMMK leaders suspect the violent harassment is connected to the demolition being threatened by barangay captain Soliman Lajara and a certain Cao of Galaxy Realty Corp which owns the lot on which the community stands.

“Some 86 families are now living in fear because of the harassment and threats. Cao and Lajara are warning the residents that they must leave tomorrow or else be demolished. However there is no demolition order so clearly this is illegal,” Cangayao explained.

The leaders and members of SMMK had staged a rally and held a dialogue with Mayor Chipeco last May 10. Negotiations with the mayor’s office are still ongoing.

Renato Magtubo, national chair of Partido ng Manggagawa, called on President Benigno Aquino III to sign a draft executive order providing for a moratorium on demolitions and evictions. “The spate of violent demolitions in Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Metro Cebu reveal the need for a moratorium on evictions. During the pendency of the moratorium, government must hold an honest dialogue with the urban poor for strategic solution to the problem of housing for the poor,” he explained.

PM and AMP and are involved in the consultations held by the cabinet level task force headed by Secretary Robredo with the mandate to formulate and recommend policy resolutions on the housing issues confronting the urban poor. An executive order for the moratorium drafted as a result of the consultations has remained unsigned by President Aquino.

Groups rally against “balik-probinsya program,” call for moratorium on demolitions

Press Release

May 16, 2011

Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino

The Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) and the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) mobilized its members for a rally led by the urban poor alliance Kilos Maralita at the HUDCC main office in Makati. Some 500 urban poor picketed the Atrium Building in Makati this morning.

“The proposed balik-probinsya program is a wrong solution to the problem. The urban poor built the cities and we are entitled to live in it,” declared Ramil Cangayao, an AMP leader.

Some 500,000 informal settlers are set to be relocated to the provinces under the balik-probinsya program proposed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). After the HUDCC rally, the protesters also proceeded to the DAR main office at the

Elliptical Road

in Quezon City to continue the rally. The groups lambasted the balik-probinsya proposal.

The groups also called on President Benigno Aquino III to sign a draft executive order that provides for a moratorium on demolitions and evictions. “The spate of violent demolitions in Metro Manila and other areas, such as the Laperal compound, reveal the need for a moratorium on evictions. During the pendency of the moratorium, government must hold an honest dialogue with the urban poor for strategic solution to the problem of housing for the poor,” explained Cangayao.

AMP is a network of urban poor organization in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon that is campaigning for a moratorium on demolitions, reforms in the housing policy and housing security of informal settlers.

PM, AMP and Kilos Maralita are involved in the consultations held by the cabinet level task force headed by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo with the mandate to formulate and recommend policy resolutions on the housing issues confronting the urban poor. An executive order for the moratorium drafted as a result of the consultations has remained unsigned by President Aquino.

Ed Casuy, leader of the Paranaque chapter of AMP, said that “We appeal to PNoy to make good on his campaign promise that he will declare a moratorium on demolitions and evictions. This is a promise that has remained unfulfilled to this day. Everyday that PNoy delays implementing a moratorium, more urban poor fall victim to illegal and violent demolitions and evictions.”

“Are vested interests with connections to key officials of PNoy blocking the draft moratorium order? Or has PNoy himself turned his back on his promise to the urban poor? The urban poor will not stop hounding PNoy in order to know the answer,” Casuy asked.

Paranaque urban poor to march to city hall

Press Release

April 7, 2011

Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino

Some 100 informal settlers who were recent victims of violent demolitions marched today to the Paranaque city hall to call for a stop to the forcible eviction of the urban poor. The Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) chapter in Paranaque led the march that assembled at 10:00 a.m. in Kabihasnan then proceeded to the city hall in Valley 1.

Ed Casuy, leader of the AMP-Paranaque, said that “We ask the local government of Paranaque for a moratorium on demolitions and evictions. There have been recent demolitions in the city which did not follow the procedures laid down in the law.”

Casuy revealed that on March 30 a violent demolition happened at the community of Cherry East Cul de Sac in Barangay Sun Valley, Paranaque that led to the injury of an old woman. “This is a private land inhabited by informal settlers who were illegally evicted without the processes required by law,” he clarified.

On the same day another demolition occurred at the back of the Lorenzana area at the

Coastal Road

in San Dionisio, Paranaque. Some 76 families were illegally evicted by the Philippine Reclamation Authority, the former Public Estates Authority, and another ten families are still threatened with demolition.

Casuy demanded that the relocation be provided to the displaced urban poor. The protesters brought with them placards with the messages “Moratorium sa Demolisyon at Ebiksyon, Ipatupad!” and “Marahas na Demolisyon at Ebiksyon, Ipatigil!”

Salvacion Hortilano the representative of the victims of violent demolition at the back of Lorenza said, “We ask Mayor Jun Bernabe and the City Council for a dialogue so they can hear our demands. If Lot 5155 in the coastal road is already under the jurisdiction of the City Government of Paranaque, we ask that a parcel of land be provided for the benefit of the informal settlers and not just of the few favored contractors of this administration.” She added, “What is the value of infrastructure projects funded by government money if the poor do not benefit from it?”

AMP is a coalition of urban poor organization in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon that is campaigning for a moratorium on demolitions, reforms in the housing policy and housing security of informal settlers. AMP is a participant in a consultation process initiated by a task force on housing headed by Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government. An output of the consultation process was an executive summary of urban poor demands and a draft order instituting a moratorium that has been forwarded to Malacanang.

Casuy explained that “All these demolitions and evictions are happening due to the fact that a draft executive order for a moratorium remains unsigned by PNoy. The more that PNoy delays signing the draft moratorium order, the more urban poor with be denied the right to decent and secure housing. Akala naming kami ang boss ni PNoy pero bakit wala siyang aksyon sa aming kahilingan at di niya tinototoo ang kanyang pangako?”

Urban poor greet PNoy with picket, call for moratorium on demolitions

Press Release

April 4, 2011

Urban poor members of the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) and the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) greeted President Benigno Aquino with a picket as he attended an activity of the local government of Paranaque. Some 100 AMP and PM members in Paranaque positioned themselves in front of the Paranaque City hall as early as 7:30 a.m. today, chanted slogans and held placards with the messages “Moratorium sa Demolisyon at Ebiksyon, Ipatupad!” and “Marahas na Demolisyon at Ebiksyon, Ipatigil!”

AMP is a coalition of urban poor organization in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon that is campaigning for a moratorium on demolitions, reforms in the housing policy and housing security of informal settlers.

Ed Casuy, leader of the AMP-Paranaque, said that “We appeal to PNoy to make good on his campaign promise that he will declare a moratorium on demolitions and evictions. This is a promise that has remained unfulfilled to this day. Everyday that PNoy delays implementing a moratorium, more urban poor fall victim to illegal and violent demolitions and evictions.”

Casuy revealed that as recently as March 30 a violent demolition happened at the community of Cherry East Cul de Sac in Barangay Sun Valley, Paranaque that led to the injury of an old woman. “This is a private land inhabited by informal settlers who were illegally evicted without the processes required by law,” he clarified.

Another demolition occurred at the back of the Lorenzana area at the

Coastal Road

in San Dionisio, Paranaque. Some 19 families were illegally evicted by the Philippine Reclamation Authority, the former Public Estates Authority. The urban poor of Cherry East and back of Lorenzana both plan to file cases at the Commission on Human Rights. Casuy insisted that more communities of informal settlers are under threat of demolition.

He explained that “All these demolitions and evictions are happening due to the fact that a draft executive order for a moratorium remains unsigned by PNoy. The more that PNoy delays signing the draft moratorium order, the more urban poor with be denied the right to decent and secure housing. Akala naming kami ang boss ni PNoy pero bakit wala siyang aksyon sa aming kahilingan at di niya tinototoo ang kanyang pangako?”

AMP and PM were participants in a consultation process initiated by a task force on housing headed by Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government. An output of the consultation process was an executive summary of urban poor demands and a draft order instituting a moratorium that has been forwarded to Malacanang.

“Are vested interests with connections to key officials of PNoy blocking the draft moratorium order? Or has PNoy himself turned his back on his promise to the urban poor? The urban poor will not stop hounding PNoy in order to know the answer,” Casuy asked.

Dasmarinas residents hold dialogue with city mayor

Press Release
March 16, 2011

The leaders of hundreds of Dasmarinas low-cost homeowners and poor residents who picketed the city hall yesterday held a dialogue today with City Mayor Jennifer Barzaga. At 1:00 p.m. the leaders of the residents of City Homes and Sibol in Barangay Sta. Fe together with representatives from the Cavite chapters of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) trooped to the meeting with Mayor Barzaga.

“We thank Mayor Barzaga for listening to the demands of her constituents but we hope that the local government sincerely finds a way to meet their housing needs. Affordable and decent housing is a right that the government should promote,” explained Ramil Cangayao, chairperson of PM-Cavite.

At yesterday’s rally, representatives of Mayor Bargaza agreed to set the dialogue today. The 500-strong protesters however were stopped from entering the city hall compound by guards and told to leave since the mayor was not in the premises. But the protesters stood their ground until the city administrator met them.

They will ask Mayor Barzaga for (1) an investigation on the deal between the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC), the developer of the City Homes subdivision and the private financing firm BFS, (2) condonation of the penalties imposed on the homeowners, and (3) restructuring of the housing loans.

The residents of City Homes are facing foreclosure due to the heavy debts incurred when their housing loans were transferred from government-owned NHMFC to BFS. “Residents of City Homes are now saddled with debts that are more than the market value of their houses due to usurious interest and penalties. The transfer happened without the knowledge of the residents. It is like they were ambushed and now they risk losing their homes which they have partially paid for with hard-earned savings,” Cangayao explained.

Meanwhile the informal settlers of the depressed area of Sibol are asking the local government to expropriate the private land on which their houses are built. Cangayao said that “The city of Dasmarinas has the power to expropriate for the purpose of socialized housing through an ordinance. We are calling on Mayor Barzaga and the city council for the ordinance and budget appropriation in the interest of hundreds of families who have lived in Sibol for years already.”



PM together with AMP and Samahang Nagkakaisa ng Cavite have been campaigning for a moratorium on demolitions and foreclosures. The groups are involved in the consultations being held by the cabinet level task force headed by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo with the mandate to formulate and recommend policy resolutions on the housing issues confronting the urban poor.

Hundreds march for housing rights in Dasmarinas, Cavite

Press Release
March 15, 2011

Some 500 residents of Dasmarinas, Cavite marched to call the attention of the local government for their demand of housing security. The marchers assembled at 7:00 a.m. in Sibol in Brgy. Sta Fe then arrived at the Dasmarinas city hall by 8:00 a.m.

“We ask Mayor Jennifer Barzaga to heed the demands of her constituents. Affordable and decent housing is a right that the government should guarantee. We hope that the call of these hundreds of residents of Dasmarinas does not fall on deaf ears,” stated Ramil Cangayao, chairperson of the Cavite chapter of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

The marchers had filed a request for an appointment today with Mayor Barzaga but did not receive a confirmation. The marchers came from residents of City Homes and also the community of Sibol.

The residents of City Homes are facing foreclosure due to the heavy debts incurred when their housing loans were transferred from government-owned National Home Mortgage Financing Corp. to a private financing firm. “Residents of City Homes are now saddled with debts that are more than the market value of their houses due to usurious interest and penalties. The transfer happened without the knowledge of the residents. It is like they were ambushed and now they risk losing their homes which they have partially paid for with hard-earned savings,” Cangayao explained.

Meanwhile the informal settlers of the depressed area of Sibol are asking the local government to expropriate the private land on which their houses are built. Cangayao said that “The city of Dasmarinas has the power to expropriate for the purpose of socialized housing through an ordinance. We are calling on Mayor Barzaga and the city council for the ordinance and budget appropriation in the interest of hundreds of families who have lived in Sibol for years already.”

The march comes on the heels of a protest last March 7 by old tenants in the nearby town of GMA, Cavite due to the threat of a demolition by the local government. The picket at the weekly flag ceremony in the GMA municipal hall caught the attention of some councilors who promised to look in the demand for decent relocation.

PM together with Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino and Samahang Nagkakaisa ng Cavite have been campaigning for a moratorium on demolitions and foreclosures. The groups are involved in the consultations being held by the cabinet level task force headed by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo with the mandate to formulate and recommend policy resolutions on the housing issues confronting the urban poor.

Old tenants in GMA, Cavite protest planned demolition

Press Release
March 7, 2011

Old tenants living in Poblacion 1 in the town of GMA, Cavite protested the planned demolition of their homes during the weekly flag ceremony at the municipal hall. They are asking GMA Mayor Leonisa Joana "Ona" Virata for a dialogue concerning their demands.

Some 80 families who are members of the Poblacion Neighborhood Family Association (Pobnefa) are claiming their right to security of housing since they have been living in the area since the 1990’s. Pobnefa together with Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) and the Samahang Nagkakaisa ng Cavite (Sanagca) are also asserting the moratorium on demolitions ordered by the DILG in view of ongoing consultations on a solution to the housing problem.

“While the old tenants do not have a piece of paper that serves as title to the land, they have been living in the area for almost two decades now. The land is owned by the National Housing Authority and the agency has allowed the municipal government to utilize the land. Since this is public land, we are asking Mayor Virata to dialogue with the residents and heed their demands,” explained Ramil Cangayao, PM-Cavite chairperson.

He added that “We hope that Mayor Virata will not forcibly demolish the home of the old tenants. In the first place, there is a de facto moratorium on demolitions as per instructions of the Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo.”

Cangayao was referring to the cabinet level task force headed by Robredo with the mandate to formulate and recommend policy resolutions on the housing issues confronting the urban poor. During the pendency of the consultations with the urban poor on the policy recommendations, a moratorium will take effect. It was on this basis that the demolition in San Juan, Metro Manila ordered by the city government was stopped a month ago by Robredo himself.

PM, AMP and Sanagca also announced that on March 15 some 500 urban poor residents in Dasmarinas, Cavite will march for the same demand of right to security of housing. The marchers will be composed of residents who are pushing for awarding by the NHA of land titles to long-time residents and also low-cost housing homeowners who face foreclosures.

PM has been campaigning for a moratorium on demolitions and foreclosures in the context of the economic crisis besetting the workers and the poor.

Urban poor hold human chain protest to urge PNoy on moratorium on demolitions

Press Release
January 10, 2011
Kilos Maralita

An urban poor group led a human chain and noise barrage protest this morning to call on the government to fulfill the campaign promise of President Benigno Aquino III on a comprehensive reform of the housing program for the poor and a moratorium on demolitions. The group Kilos Maralita is pushing for a three-year moratorium on demolitions, evictions and foreclosures.

Some 300 urban poor from the constituent groups of Kilos Maralita such as the North Triangle Association, LUPA and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) participated in the protest. The protesters linked arms in a human chain along EDSA from the corner of North Avenue to the corner of Quezon Avenue. They also held a 30-minute noise barrage by banging on pots and pans.

Teody Gacer of Kilos Maralita and leader of the North Triangle residents asserted that “It is high time that PNoy carry out his promise during the presidential campaign. We want government action on a thoroughgoing reform of socialized housing. We demand a three-year moratorium on demolitions.”

Tomorrow Kilos Maralita is going to Malacanang for a dialogue with government officials on their demand. The renewed campaign for a moratorium is in the face of reports that government is going to sign an executive order for a three-month moratorium.

“A three-month moratorium is a sick joke on the urban poor,” Gracer insisted. Representatives of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) will accompany the Kilos ng Maralita leaders in the Malacanang dialogue. CHR and NAPC have formally supported the Kilos Maralita demand for a three-year moratorium.

Urban poor groups hold caravan around QC

Press Release
December 1, 2010
Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino

Some 500 urban poor families from various groups under Kilos Maralita and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) held a caravan today. They made the rounds of the offices of the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor, the National Housing Authority, National Anti-Poverty Commission, Department of Interior and Local Government and the Commission on Human Rights, all in QC.

The caravan started at 9:00 am in the corner of Agham Road and North Ave and then ended just after noon. “This is just the kickoff of a sustained campaign to push for a three-year moratorium on demolitions and evictions, and also to engage the PNoy government on its housing program,” declared Michelle Licudine of AMP.

Leaders of Kilos Maralita and AMP also conducted a dialogue with heads of some of the offices to convince them on a three year moratorium on demolitions and evictions, and also to recommend a reform of the housing program and policy to the Aquino administration.

On the other hand at the National Hosing Authority, KM and AMP members locked the gates and served a “Notice to Vacate” to symbolize the inutile program of the office. At the Quezon City Hall meanwhile, protesters called for the reform of its Urban Poor Affairs Office which the groups allege has always been biased to private land developers over the poor communities.

The urban poor are demanding a three-year moratorium on demolitions. Among others, the groups are also concerned about the planned flagship project on flood control that will affected hundreds of thousands of poor families residing in waterways and the shores of Laguna lake.

Urban poor suffering highlighted in “Kalbaryo ng Maralita”

Press Release
March 30, 2010

Poverty, hunger, homelessness and unemployment were highlighted in a “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” held today by militant urban poor. “There are more than 18 million urban poor out of 90 million Filipinos and their numbers keep growing due to migration from rural areas and grinding poverty in the cities. The social volcano will explode unless government on the grievances of millions of poor and hungry,” warned Renato Magtubo, chairperson of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

More than a 100 members of PM and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino participated in the yearly ritual of “Kalbaryo ng Maralita.” AMP is a network of urban poor organizations in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. The march started at 9:00 a.m. from Palasan along Sucat Road in Parañaque and ended in a program at the Baclaran Church around 12:00 noon. Some of the marchers carried makeshift crosses and wore symbolic crown of thorns on their heads. The program was conducted like a traditional “pasyon.”

The urban poor challenged the presidentiables to present appropriate platforms to address the demands of the urban poor. “We are tired of motherhood statements about ending poverty or fighting corruption as the root of poverty. We want concrete programs that will resolve the lack of jobs, lack of food, lack of housing and lack of earnings that plague the lives of the poor. These are the heavy crosses that the poor bear daily,” said Robert Labrador, an AMP. The group cited government estimates of some 300,000 homeless families living in so-called danger zones and thus threatened with demolition.

“Palasan is the starting point of the Kalbaryo because it is symbolic of the sufferings of the urban poor. The residents of Palasan recently had to endure a series of violent demolitions spearheaded by the Parañaque police and private guards of the Amvel Subdivision which is owned by El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde. Palasan reflects the eviction and militarization that plagues the urban poor,” added Romy Cabugnason, a PM leader in Parañaque.

In the Kalbaryo, the Parañaque police and Amvel guards will be caricatured as Roman centurions while Velarde will be depicted as a hypocritical Pharisee. After several demolition attempts that included arson and arrests, the residents of Palasan were finally evicted and their community buried under a meter of soil.

Magtubo asserted that “There are many more Palasans. There are millions of urban poor who survive but endure without decent housing. There are masses of Filipinos whose search for their daily bread is a matter of life and death. If their poverty will end, it will need a critical analysis that goes beyond simply blaming corruption and it will need the political will to implement redistribution of wealth and radical reforms.”

The former community of Palasan was situated beside the Amvel Subdivision owned by Velarde who recently admitted to proposing the controversial rerouting of the C5 extension road. The Palasan residents accuse Velarde of landgrabbing and being the mastermind behind the demolition.

Pagdurusa ng mahihirap ilalahad bukas sa “Kalbaryo ng Maralita”

Radio Release
March 29, 2010

Kahirapan, kagutuman, kawalan ng pabahay at trabaho ang pinatingkad na mga suliranin sa isang “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” na ilulunsad ng militanteng mga grupo bukas ng umaga. “May lagpas 18 milyong maralitang tagalungsod at bawat araw ay lumalaki ang kanilang bilang bunga ng migrasyon mula sa mga probinsya at ng grabeng kahirapan sa kalunsuran,” paliwanag ni Renato Magtubo, tagapangulo ng party-list na Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

Higit sa 100 kasapi ng PM at Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) ang sasama sa taunang “Kalbaryo ng Maralita.” Ang AMP ay isang network ng mga samahan ng maralita sa Metro Manila, Central Luzon at Southern Tagalog. Ang martsa ay magsisimula ng 9:00 nu sa McDonald’s Kabihasnan sa Parañaque at magtatapos sa Simbahan ng Baclaran bandang alas dose. Magdadala ang ilang militante na mga krus na gawa sa karton at mga koronang tinik na gawa sa papel. Ang programa sa Simbahan ng Baclaran ay itutulad naman sa isang pasyon.

Hinamon ng mga maralita ang mga presidentiables na maglahad ng plataporma na tutugon sa mga karaingan ng maralita. “Sawa na kami sa abstraktong mga islogan tungkol sa pagtatapos ng kahirapan at paglaban sa korupsyon bilang ugat ng kahirapan. Ang gusto namin ay konkretong programa na tutugon sa kawalan ng trabaho, pagkain, pabahay at kita na pasaning mga krus ng mahihirap,” dagdag ni Robert Labrador, isang lider ng AMP.

Sa Kalbaryo ay ilalahad bilang mga sundalong Romano ang mga pulis ng Parañaque at mga gwardya ng Amvel Subdivision habang itutulad sa mga Pariseo si Mike Velarde ng El Shaddai. Pagsasalarawan ito ng serye ng demolisyong naganap kung kailan lamang sa Palasan sa Parañaque, isang komunidad malapit sa lugar na pinagsimulan ng Kalbaryo. Pinangunahan ng mga pulis ng Parañaque at gwardya ng Amvel ang demolisyon habang inaakusahan ng mga residente ng Palasan si Velarde bilang utak ng demolisyon. Ang Amvel ang inamin ni Velarde na siyang dahilan kung bakit ipinalihis niya ang kontrobersyal na C5 extension road.

Labor party and urban poor groups demand massive funding for decent housing

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.

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.