MEMBERS of urban poor groups under Task Force Relocatees on Sunday stormed the National Housing Authority (NHA) offices along Eliptical Road, Quezon City, to protest of the government’s ‘poor’ socialized housing programs.
Using spoons, forks and empty cooking pans to symbolize the widespread hunger and poverty, the group held a noise barrage in front of the gate of the NHA as part of the nationwide protests in commemoration of the 151st birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio.
Bonifacio is considered one of the country’s national heroes after he launched a secret society that led a revolution against Spanish colonizers in the 17th century.
The protesters later went to join other protesters at the Liwasang Bonifacio. The group also put up tents in front of the gates to symbolize the failure of the government to come up with a decent near-city relocation sites for victims of natural and man-made calamities and a socialized housing program for the landless and homeless Filipinos.
Citing NHA data, the group said some 4,546 families have been moved to off-city relocation sites from 2009 up to the present. Before that, tens of thousands of families from Metro Manila have relocated to rid the National Capital of squatters.
Carlito Badion, national secretary of group Task Force Relocatees, said, “This is contrary to what the Aquino administration promised since he assumed presidency.”
From the start, the Aquino administration has considered socialized housing the least of its priorities, according to Badion.
Badion told the BusinessMirror in an interview that many of the victims of typhoons and the Zamboanga siege remain in temporary relocation sites and are unable to move on with their lives because of lack of relocation site.
Also, he said many of those evicted in “danger zones” in Metro Manila were transferred to off-city relocation sites faced with the problem of living far away from work and school, with no livelihood opportunities in their new communities, and problem brought about by the lack or shortage in water and electricity supply.
He noted that the budget for socialized housing has rarely breached the 1 percent of the total national budget. It was only in 2000 and 2013 when the budget for socialized housing breached the 1 percent “ceiling.” In 2000 the budget went up to 1.4 percent and in 2013, the budget went up to 15 percent of the total national budget.
This, Badion said, demonstrate lack of empathy of the Aquino administration for the poor.
According to Badion, in October 2011, the Aquino administration approved the release of P10 billion to fund in-city relocation to rescue those living danger zones, such as rivers and creeks. The said fund was part of a P50-billion fund for informal settler families.
According to the Department of Budget and Management, some P11.5 billion had been released for housing projects for the poor on top of the annual allocation for informal settlers and funding for socialized housing of the NHA and other key-shelter agencies of the government.
According to Badion, 49,640 housing units have been constructed by the NHA from 2011 to September 2014. Of these, 3,318 units are in in-city relocation sites, while 46,322 units are in various off-city relocation sites.