Urban Poor 10K Walk, An Appeal for Floodway Proclamation

Urban Poor Associates

25-A Mabuhay Street, Brgy. Central, Q.C.          Telefax: 4264118          Tel.: 4264119 / 4267615

Ref:  Princess Asuncion-Esponilla      Mobile phone: 0908 1967450     http://urbanpoorassociates.blogspot.com/

 

News Release

7 June 2014. 

2000 urban poor joined today a 10 kilometer walk, to appeal to President Benigno Aquino III for a proclamation for land tenure security and socialized housing in the Floodway that will benefit 20,000 residents. The walk stretches from Taytay, Cainta to Pasig Floodway to stress that people has the right to live in the city. This is also a call to engage all affected families to demand from the government a just and humane response for safe and secure settlement of informal settlers families(ISF) living in floodway, Rizal.

The 10k walk was initiated by Community Organizers Multiversity (COM), Exodus Homeowners Association, Damayan Homeowners Association, Pag-asa Homeowners Association, Maharlika Homeowners Association and Alliance of People’s Organization Along Manggahan Pasig.

Urban poor along the stretch of floodway have long been a beneficiary of three Presidential Proclamations (PP) that aim to provide socialized housing. PP 458 and PP 704 were issued under President Fidel V. Ramos and PP1160 under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

PP 458 S. 1994 reserving portions of Embankment in Manggahan Floodway, PP 704 S. 1995 reserving a portion of public domain in Taytay,  and PP 1160 s. 2006 reserving portions of the Berm slopes of East and West Floodway. These were later revoked by President Arroyo through an Executive Order 854 in 2009, shortly after Typhoon Ondoy without sufficient technical and legal basis. 

Marlon Quirante, President of Exodus Homeowners Association Taytay, said, “We want President Aquino to lift EO 854 that totally revokes our rights for a decent housing. We have been crying for his help to implement socialized housing for families of floodway.”

Quirante added, “We have even gathered 10,000 signatures to support our cause. We are hopeful that through our mass actions President Aquino will be guided to act with compassion to protect our housing rights.” 

President Aquino signed a covenant with urban poor that set the legalization of settlement in Manggahan, Floodway. The covenant inspired the people of Floodway to develop a disaster-resilient community through a housing design suitable in the area of the Floodway.

In parting, Bella dela Rosa, President of Damayan Homeowners Association said, “We will do everything to push our on-site housing. In today’s walk, we also gave emphasis on the need to amend Urban Development and Housing Act (RA7279) to ensure that all poor people will have access to a law that serves poor people interests.”

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Urban Poor Call for the Amendment of UDHA

26 February 2014. Task Force UDHA Amendments composed of Urban Poor Associates (UPA), Community Organizers Multiversity (COM), Partnership of Philippine Support Service Agencies Inc (Philssa), Peoples Alternative Study Center for Research and Education in Social Development (Pascres) and various peoples organizations from different cities attended the committee hearing on Housing and  Urban Development meeting today at Speaker Yniguez Hall, South Wing Annex Building, House of Representatives that discussed the amendments on House Bill 2791 entitled “Strengthening and Securing the Rights of the Urban Poor Against Evictions and/or Demolitions and to Provide Adequate Housing” introduced by Representatives Cresente Paez, Leonor Robredo and et al.

 Celia Santos, UPA UDHA Advocacy Officer said, “We are happy that finally our proposed amendments on House Bill 2791 are now being discussed in the committee Hearing under Congressman Alfred Benitez. This bill will ensure that the rights of the poor for decent housing will be given a priority.”

This bill aims to further secure the urban poor from eviction and demolition of their homes and from relocating them in distant places lacking basic services and livelihood opportunities, thus clarifying the definition of “resettlement areas” that it must be within and/or near city areas. 

Last February 19, President Benigno Aquino III graced the presentation of the first urban on-site medium-rise building model unit through a people’s plan at Claro M. Recto High School, Legarda, Sampaloc, Manila. The house is set three meters back from the estero. It is energy efficient and resistant to floods, liquefaction and earth shaking.

Filomena Cinco, President of Nagkakaisang Mamamayan ng Legarda said,  "It took us five years to realize our dream of on-site housing along Estero de San Miguel. We have asked the help of UPA, our NGO partner to get architects that will tell the government that the project can be done. Through House bill 2791, the government will not just tell urban poor people living along waterways that they must be evicted because they are in danger areas. With the bill, waterways dwellers can seek proper technical and scientific study to opt for on-site housing and a public consultations will be done.”

Cinco added, "Our proposed UDHA Amendments is not just a protection to urban poor people rights, more than that it will protect the government and the public to secure that poverty alleviation and risk mitigation can be achieved."

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