THE Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) with community leaders in Apollo, Tandang Sora, Quezon City, led last Sunday the residents to reclaim the area where their houses were demolished from just days before President Duterte’s inauguration last year. The President had declared there would be no demolition without relocation. However, the residents of Apollo were offered no such arrangement and have been homeless for nearly a year.
“These people were made homeless through the policies espoused by the National Housing Authority and the Quezon City Hall. Their community was declared a fire hazard despite not having any reports of a fire for more than 30 years. City Hall has made no secret of its intention to forcefully and violently evict thousands of urban-poor families in favor of big businesses and real-estate projects.
“Apollo’s residents, now faced with eviction, are now rightfully claiming their housing rights and stand ready to defend their community,” Kadamay Secretary-General Carlito Badion said.
Badion said the practice of arbitrarily declaring areas to be fire hazards was made possible by the provisions of the Urban Development and Housing Act (Udha) of 1992. Udha has been responsible for allowing and enabling widespread demolitions and the design of the socialized housing system which Kadamay had exposed by occupying idle houses in Bulacan.
“Because of laws like the Udha, many local governments are given license to mediate and implement widespread evictions nationwide. The supposed safeguards provided are rarely executed and urban-poor Filipinos are routinely tricked with promises of financial assistance in relocation,” Badion said.
Despite of the national government’s perceived commitment to completing the 5.5 million housing backlog in the country, Kadamay said it has failed to account for the growing number of homeless and evicted Filipinos. During the Aquino administration, the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor estimated 1.4 million Filipinos were displaced by demolitions. In the first few months of the Duterte regime, 4,209 families were evicted in Metro Manila alone.
“You cannot solve the housing problem by adding to the number of homeless Filipinos and making more housing units without any occupants. Ang panawagan namin ay on-site development. Manatili sa komunidad at tumugon ang pamahalaan sa batayang karapatan at pangangailangan ng mga maralitang residente. Napakaraming probisyon at paraan sa Udha na ginagamit ng NHA [National Housing Authority], LGU [local government unit] at mga kasosyo nila para hirapan ang maralita. Dapat ibasura ang Udha. Lalo lamang matutulak ang mga maralita sa mga papalakas na pagkilos para sa libre at pangmasang pabahay,” Badion said.