Cardinal Rosales asked to stop imminent eviction of poor families

Attention: News Editor, News Desk, Reporters and Photojournalists

MEDIA ADVISORY

Cardinal Rosales asked to stop imminent eviction of poor families

Thousands of urban poor families who are facing imminent threat of forced evictions due to the Northrail-Southrail Linkage Project have found an advocate in Catholic Bishops from Malolos, Bulacan to San Pablo, Laguna. Among these advocates is His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales who has offered to help them in a meeting to be held at the Arzobispado de Manila on Sunday, April 15, 2007 (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM).

More than 145,000 people (29,000 families) have already been evicted from their homes in Metro Manila and Bulacan since early 2005 due to the rehabilitation of the Northrail and Southrail. The government's relocation lacked clean water, electricity and often were very far from the city, making it inconvenient for residents to find any form of livelihood.

A total of 914 families living along waterways have also been evicted by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) since February this year. Most of these evictions turned violent and almost no relocation were provided. Thousands of urban poor families in R-10 Navotas face similar threats.

The Government of the Philippines was recently given one of three Housing Rights Violator Awards for 2006 for its forced evictions in the name of ‘beautification’ and ‘development’.

Date: April 15, 2007 (Sunday)

Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Venue: Arzobispado de Manila, 121 Arzobispo St., Intramuros, Manila