UP residents stage protest action against demolition

** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **

UP residents stage protest action against demolition

8 May 2007. Residents of villages inside the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City held a protest rally this morning to oppose the UP administration’s move to rid the campus of informal settlers.

The Nagkakaisang Lakas ng mga Maralita (NALAMA), a peoples organization from 20 barangays within the University, led the protest action at the Oblation in front of the UP Administration Building.

Residents were protesting the impending demolition that they said would eventually dislocate 25,000 urban poor families. Some residents said they have been in the area since 1970s.

Houses of at least 9 families in C.P. Garcia are set to be demolished this month tagging it as a tactic of UP at removing all informal settlers in the campus.

According to Urban Poor Associates (UPA), beginning in 2001 the people had negotiated with UP and Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., and had arrived at a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that needed only the concurrence of UP’s Board of Regents.

“It seemed a win-win solution for all parties: the people would get land tenure security and eventual upgrading; the university would get easy access to all the land needed for education purposes and the people’s assistance in limiting the entry of additional poor families; the city would get 25,000 families settled at very little cost. Land security would be long-term leases. The mayor would supply infrastructure – light, roads, drainage etc.,” the UPA said in a statement.

But before the Regents could vote, a change was made in the university’s administration. The new administration issued a series of policy papers that outlined a 180% turn in their mode of relationships with the urban poor, whom they described as enemies of UP.

The papers said the university would no longer negotiate with the poor and would hire more guards and evict rather than negotiate a solution to urban poor problems. The university’s new officials refused to meet with the poor for meaningful discussions.

What the administration proposes are: that demolitions be accepted, if not supported, by the academic community as a politically correct option; that UP will rule out relocation, on site development and other negotiating stances that alienate land and violate the UP Charter.

The UP administration has invoked its exemption from the coverage of the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) which requires government to relocate families it evicts.

The House of Representatives legal office led by Parañaque City Congressman Eduardo Zialcita has said UP is not exempt. “While it may be true that UP lands are exempt from the operation of UDHA (RA 7279) with respect to the eviction of informal settlers, the university is not however exempt from the constitutional requirements of prior consultation with those who will be affected by the demolition and consequent resettlement and the just and humane manner of effecting the same under Section 10, Art. XIII of our fundamental law.” -30-

Urban poor set to march to Mendiola

Attention: News Editor, News Desk, Reporters and Photojournalists

MEDIA ADVISORY

Urban poor set to march to Mendiola

Urban poor families in Metro Manila are set to march to Mendiola on Wednesday (May 9, 2007) beginning 9:00 in the morning to urge President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to meet with them.

The people have sent various letters to President Arroyo endorsed by His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales asking for a meeting but to no avail.

Representatives of the urban poor groups want to hold a dialogue with Mrs. Arroyo to make her aware of their problems.

Hundreds of families, for example, are now living in the streets after their houses built along esteros in Paco, Manila were demolished by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). There was no relocation.

Evicting poor families without adequate relocation violates not only the Constitution but also the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) and the United Nations covenants.

Thousands of families living along the railroad tracks in Manila, Caloocan and Taguig wants the demolition of their houses stopped until the government considers in-city / near-city relocation sites as alternatives to its distant relocation sites (Cabuyao / Towerville / Trece Martirez) where life is extremely hard. They want the National Housing Authority (NHA) to hand over the funds it holds to Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga of Taguig and Mayor Pedro Cuerpo of Montalban who have agreed to accept the families and let them do the relocation work.

Urban poor communities in Navotas that were burnt out by fires were told they cannot return to the area. This effectively puts them in the streets, and again violates the law.

The people will gather at 8:00 AM onwards. We hope the police will permit the march. The presence of media will help ensure calm.

Date: May 9, 2007 (Wednesday)

Time: 9:00 AM

Assembly Point: San Sebastian Church, Plaza del Carmen, Quiapo, Manila

UP residents to stage protest action against demolition

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Attention: News Editor, News Desk, Reporters and Photojournalists

MEDIA ADVISORY

UP residents to stage protest action against demolition

The Nagkakaisang Lakas ng mga Maralita (NALAMA) requests your presence at a protest action tomorrow (Tuesday / May 8, 2007) beginning 9:00 in the morning at the Oblation in front of the Administration Building, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

Residents of villages located inside the University will hold a protest rally to oppose the UP administration’s move to rid the campus of informal settlers.

The UP administration has invoked its exemption from the coverage of the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) which requires government to relocate families it evicts. The House of Representatives legal office has said UP is not exempt.

NALAMA is a peoples organization from 20 Barangays within UP Diliman Campus.

Date: May 8, 2007 (Tuesday)

Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 NN

Venue: Oblation, Administration Building, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

 

Urban Poor Alliance to endorse pro-poor candidates

Attention: News Editor, News Desk, Reporters and Photojournalists

MEDIA ADVISORY

Urban Poor Alliance to endorse pro-poor candidates

Urban Poor Alliance (UP-All) requests your presence at a General Assembly this coming Sunday (April 29, 2007) from 1:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon at the Bulwagang Tandang Sora, College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

UP-All will be formally launching itself in the National Capital Region. This activity is expected to gather more than 1,000 representatives of various urban poor groups. This activity has also been deemed an auspicious moment given the upcoming elections, which has been seen as an opportunity to raise the perennial issues and concerns of the urban poor sector.

UP-All NCR has taken the initiative to rearticulate these issues and concerns in the form of a Legislative Agenda. Parallel to this effort, UP-All NCR has also engendered a process that produced a shortlist of senatorial and partylist candidates who have an acceptable character and track record and who are supportive of the aspirations of the urban poor. Selected candidates have been approached by representatives of the Alliance and (through their representatives) have attended a dialogue with UP-ALL leaders on the Legislative Agenda.

The UP-ALL NCR Launch will also be the venue where the shortlisted candidates who committed themselves on the Legislative Agenda will be endorsed. Each candidate will be asked to participate in the ceremonial signing of the Legislative Agenda and will be given a maximum of five (5) minutes to make a speech

The Urban Poor Alliance (UP-ALL) is a coalition of non-government organizations (NGOs) and peoples organizations (POs) representing over 500,000 organised constituents from the urban poor sector. With a presence in four major regions: National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, UP-ALL aims to facilitate the exercise of the basic right to decent shelter especially among the poor through intensive advocacy, broad-based networking, constant policy dialogue, and cutting-edge research.

Date: April 29, 2007 (Sunday)

Time: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Venue: Bulwagang Tandang Sora, College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

UP-All NCR Legislative Agenda

We, the urban poor people’s organizations and NGOs from the different areas in Metro Manila ask you to sign your agreement to the following proposals for legislation and commit to work for their realization when elected:

1. Enact a law that will set up an independent quasi-judicial body with authority to do the following:

a. Monitor, investigate, and stop demolitions that do not comply with the law.

b. Review, monitor, and check implementation of resettlement action plans (RAPs) and social service programs for the urban poor.

2. Enact a law compelling infrastructure projects that will displace informal settlers to have resettlement action plans (RAPs) with corresponding budgets and identified fund sources.
3. Enact a law compelling LGUs to formulate land use plans providing for resettlement sites and sufficient land for the housing needs of their informal settler constituents.
4. Enact a law that would disallow the use of the National Building Code as a basis for demolishing the houses of informal settlers.
5. Commit to opposing legislative efforts to criminalize the poor as embodied in HB 4215, which seeks to amend the “Anti-squatting law repeal act of 1997” or RA 8368 and HB 3532, which define the enforceable juridical relations on occupancy on or possession of private lands in the country.
6. Conduct an inquiry on the status of titling and distribution of proclaimed socialized housing sites.
7. Enact a law creating a Special Charter for the Socialized Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC).
8. Conduct a sunset review and assess the effectiveness of the CISFA as well as the performance of its implementing agencies.
9. Enact a law mandating the creation of Local Housing Boards (LHBs) by LGUs.

Signed this _______ of April, year 2007 in _____________________________,

_________________________________

Name of Candidate

2007 Senatorial Candidate

If you require further information please contact:

Urban Poor Associates (UPA)
Ref: John Francis Lagman
Tel.: 4264118 / 4264119 / 4267615
Fax: 4264118
http://jlagman17.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17

Urban Poor Alliance
Secretariat Office: Partnership of Philippine Support Service Agencies, Inc. (PHILSSA)
3/F Hoffner Building, Social Development Complex
Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Telephone Nos.: 426-4327, 426-4328, 426-6001 local 4854
Telefax No.: 426-0811

Cardinal Rosales concerned on plight of urban poor

** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **

Cardinal Rosales concerned on plight of urban poor

15 April 2007. With only one month left before the midterm elections, thousands of urban poor families are once again plagued with the problems of distant relocation, forced eviction and of demolition by fires, and so are trying to solve the problems they face by seeking the help of Catholic Bishops from Malolos, Bulacan to San Pablo, Laguna.

Among those who have offered to help the families along the railways, waterways and R-10 Navotas is His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales. At a meeting this afternoon held at the Manila Archbishop's residence in Arzobispado de Manila, the Cardinal was asked to write a letter to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and urge her to meet with representatives of the people affected.

The poor families will ask the President to order the national agencies involved, especially the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to stop evicting poor families if there is no relocation.

“If you cannot relocate, do not evict. It is clear that the national government agencies and some mayors are evicting poor families by the thousands without providing relocation. This happens more frequently now than at any time since the passage of the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA),” the urban poor families said in a statement read at the end of the meeting.

Such a practice violates the Constitution, the UDHA, and the United Nations covenants that the government has signed, according to the statement read by Alicia Murphy of the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-government organization that accompanied the people. “It causes terrible suffering: poor families are forced to live literally on the streets. Their children fall sick with colds and rashes. The children and the aged suffer most of all. It is a traumatic experience for school children.”

The families also oppose distant relocations. The main relocation site on the Southrail is in Cabuyao, Laguna which is 50 km. from Manila. Wage earners cannot commute because the one-way transportation cost is P70. They either give up their jobs in Manila, or divide the family between Manila and Cabuyao—workers and college students in Manila, women and children in Cabuyao. This causes extra expenses of two households and has bad effects on family life. On average, families in Cabuyao now have P2,000 less each month than they did in Manila. Many problems persist in the Cabuyao relocation area after nearly 18 months occupancy. Only 5% of families have deep well, metered water, for example, and some people do not feel it is safe to drink the water (See Southville, Cabuyao Update on http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17).

The poor families will ask the president to order the National Housing Authority (NHA) to allow alternative sites and transfer the needed funds.

Peoples’ groups in Taguig and Manila destined to be transferred to Cabuyao have taken initiatives to find alternative relocation sites. In the case of Taguig it is the cluster housing of Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga. In Manila the alternative site is Montalban. “Mayor Tiñga and Mayor Pedro Cuerpo of Montalban have agreed to accept the families from the railroad on condition that the NHA turn over to them the funds budgeted for relocation. Despite many appeals NHA refuses to do so,” the poor people said.

The Cardinal may also ask the president in his letter to decree that fire victims must be given the option to return to the area where their homes were prior to the fire.

Fire and demolitions are the mortal enemy of the urban poor, according to UPA. “There is still no overall policy for fire victims. They are often told they cannot go back to the area where they lived. Like evicted people who are not given relocation, fire victims are relegated to the streets.” -30-

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

Bishop Iñiguez comes to the aid of railway families

Attention: News Editor, News Desk, Reporters and Photojournalists

MEDIA ADVISORY

Bishop Iñiguez comes to the aid of railway 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 Caloocan Bishop Deogracias S. Iñiguez Jr. who has offered to help them in a meeting today, April 11, 2007 (1:00 PM – 5:00 PM) to be held at the PNR Auditorium, PNR Centre, Torres Bugallon, Sangandaan, Caloocan City.

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 response was to create relocation sites. These relocation sites, however, has no clean water, no electricity and very far from the city, making it inconvenient for residents to find any form of livelihood.

Greater engagement is needed between government, NGOs and urban poor communities to develop alternatives to evictions and to encourage development that promotes basic human rights. Hence, a dialogue was arranged between affected families and line agencies to discuss the impending eviction and alternative relocation.

Date: April 11, 2007 (Wednesday)

Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Venue: PNR Auditorium, PNR Centre, Torres Bugallon, Sangandaan, Caloocan City