02/18/2008 | 01:26 AM
Monday, February 18, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Alleged Southrail overpricing impossible – PNR
02/13/2008 | 07:43 PM
http://www.gmanews.tv/video/18047/Alleged-Southrail-overpricing-impossible-–-PNR
PNR: Southrail project not overpriced
02/14/2008 | 12:55 PM
http://www.gmanews.tv/video/18047/Alleged-Southrail-overpricing-impossible-–-PNR
PNR: Southrail project not overpriced
02/14/2008 | 12:55 PM
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
‘No demolition without relocation’ - PGMA
** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **
‘No demolition without relocation’ - PGMA
1 February 2008. In a meeting hosted by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday, the government has assured Metro Manila’s urban poor groups, people’s organizations, non-government organizations and Church leaders that demolitions would no longer be allowed unless there is a relocation site ready for affected families.
Also present were Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) Chairman Percival Chavez, National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Federico Laxa and other agency representatives.
President Arroyo announced that P4 billion pesos will be allocated for housing. She said there should be social preparation period for those who will be relocated and people should not be caught off guard or by surprise by not giving them any notice or very late demolition notice. A 45-day notice will be given to informal settlers whose shanties are up for demolition.
The president preferred in-city or near-city relocation sites to distant relocation. She said Montalban, for example, which has been suggested by the poor as a relocation site, should be considered a better option than Calauan, Laguna because it is much nearer.
The president also said she was open to in-city relocation. She instructed NHA General Manager Laxa to talk to the mayors of Taguig and Navotas about in-city relocation and to Mayor Pedro Cuerpo of Montalban about near-city relocation.
When asked to continue proclaiming land for the urban poor, the president said she would not do so now but would first develop the areas already proclaimed, meaning the 80 or so proclaimed sites with approximately 200,000 families will be upgraded and given basic services like water light,sanitation, drainage, roads and day care centers.
Jeorgie Tenolete of the people’s organization KABALIKAT mentioned the fear Baseco people have of being evicted because of a plan to develop Baseco into a commercial area. President Arroyo repeated several times that Baseco is for socialized housing and that the government is even reclaiming more land as part of it and the people should not worry.
Asked about the demolition by soldiers at Sitio Masagana in Taguig City, the president said the military like all government agencies is bound to follow the laws on eviction and relocation.
With the help of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) particularly Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan of Tuguegarao and Bishop Ramon Villena of Bayombong, urban poor leaders belonging to the Task Force Anti-Illegal Demolition (TF-AID) and Urban Poor Alliance (UP-ALL) were able to meet the President Thursday afternoon at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang.
TF-AID was formed in answer to the growing number of illegal evictions by various people’s organizations and NGOs such as Community Organizers Multiversity (COM), Community Organization of the Philippine Enterprise (COPE) Foundation, and Urban Poor Associates (UPA).
TF-AID wants a halt to forced evictions without relocation and the preparation of adequate relocation sites for those who are evicted.
Last year some 9,637 families lost their houses due to demolitions, according to the UPA annual eviction monitor. This is 26% more than the number of evicted families in 2006. “The two electoral events in 2007, the May 14 national election and the Barangay election in October, did not seem to have an impact on the number of evictions, unlike in 2004 where the number of demolitions dramatically went down,” said Ted Añana, deputy coordinator of UPA. About 40% of the 9,637 families were evicted without relocation. -30-
‘No demolition without relocation’ - PGMA
1 February 2008. In a meeting hosted by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday, the government has assured Metro Manila’s urban poor groups, people’s organizations, non-government organizations and Church leaders that demolitions would no longer be allowed unless there is a relocation site ready for affected families.
Also present were Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) Chairman Percival Chavez, National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Federico Laxa and other agency representatives.
President Arroyo announced that P4 billion pesos will be allocated for housing. She said there should be social preparation period for those who will be relocated and people should not be caught off guard or by surprise by not giving them any notice or very late demolition notice. A 45-day notice will be given to informal settlers whose shanties are up for demolition.
The president preferred in-city or near-city relocation sites to distant relocation. She said Montalban, for example, which has been suggested by the poor as a relocation site, should be considered a better option than Calauan, Laguna because it is much nearer.
The president also said she was open to in-city relocation. She instructed NHA General Manager Laxa to talk to the mayors of Taguig and Navotas about in-city relocation and to Mayor Pedro Cuerpo of Montalban about near-city relocation.
When asked to continue proclaiming land for the urban poor, the president said she would not do so now but would first develop the areas already proclaimed, meaning the 80 or so proclaimed sites with approximately 200,000 families will be upgraded and given basic services like water light,sanitation, drainage, roads and day care centers.
Jeorgie Tenolete of the people’s organization KABALIKAT mentioned the fear Baseco people have of being evicted because of a plan to develop Baseco into a commercial area. President Arroyo repeated several times that Baseco is for socialized housing and that the government is even reclaiming more land as part of it and the people should not worry.
Asked about the demolition by soldiers at Sitio Masagana in Taguig City, the president said the military like all government agencies is bound to follow the laws on eviction and relocation.
With the help of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) particularly Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan of Tuguegarao and Bishop Ramon Villena of Bayombong, urban poor leaders belonging to the Task Force Anti-Illegal Demolition (TF-AID) and Urban Poor Alliance (UP-ALL) were able to meet the President Thursday afternoon at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang.
TF-AID was formed in answer to the growing number of illegal evictions by various people’s organizations and NGOs such as Community Organizers Multiversity (COM), Community Organization of the Philippine Enterprise (COPE) Foundation, and Urban Poor Associates (UPA).
TF-AID wants a halt to forced evictions without relocation and the preparation of adequate relocation sites for those who are evicted.
Last year some 9,637 families lost their houses due to demolitions, according to the UPA annual eviction monitor. This is 26% more than the number of evicted families in 2006. “The two electoral events in 2007, the May 14 national election and the Barangay election in October, did not seem to have an impact on the number of evictions, unlike in 2004 where the number of demolitions dramatically went down,” said Ted Añana, deputy coordinator of UPA. About 40% of the 9,637 families were evicted without relocation. -30-
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
‘Have pity’ poor families appeal to PGMA in face off
** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **
Have pity’ poor families appeal to PGMA in face off
30 January 2008. Backed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), urban poor leaders will have a meeting tomorrow afternoon with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang where they hope to discuss forced evictions, inadequate relocation and land proclamation issues.
The meeting resulted from a consultation between urban poor groups and the CBCP held last week at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Paco, Manila.
Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan of Tuguegarao and Bishop Ramon Villena of Bayombong offered to arrange a meeting with President Arroyo through the Office of the Religious Affairs in Malacañang.
Urban poor groups want a halt to forced evictions, specifically those done by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the preparation of adequate relocation sites for those who are evicted.
They want the President to condemn the practice of MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando for his failure to relocate families he has evicted.
The Urban Poor Associates (UPA) eviction monitor for the first month of 2008 shows some 1,800 families have already been left homeless after being forcibly evicted.
A group called Task Force Anti-Illegal Demolition (TF-AID) warns of massive demonstrations in Metro Manila if their requests will fall on deaf ears. TF-AID was formed by various people’s organizations and NGOs such as Community Organizers Multiversity (COM), Community Organization of the Philippine Enterprise (COPE) Foundation, and UPA.
The group agree with the words of Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales in a sermon delivered to urban poor on the Paco Estero during the Feast of the Holy Family. “There should be no violence. No one should use violence. There should be no intimidation, no use of arms. We will obey, but we don’t want to be forced or subjected to violence. If government evicts it must prepare relocation sites. This is what we say, the site is prepared when there are houses, roads, light, water, schools for the children, and travel to work must be easy.”
Jose Morales, one of the urban poor leaders who will meet the President, said it is time to stop the social injustice being experienced by urban poor. “Panahon na para wakasan na ang pagiging berdugo ng maralita ni Bayani Fernando. Panahon na para igalang ang batas tulad ng Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA).” Morales represents the Urban Poor Alliance (UP-ALL) and the Ugnayang Lakas ng mga Apektadong Pamilya sa Baybaying Ilog Pasig (ULAP).
Prescilda Juanich, a representative of Samahang Pinagbuklod ng Pagkakaisa, said she is excited because it is her first time to set foot in Malacañang. “Idol ko si Gloria, senador pa lang siya hanggang sa naging vice president. Pero ngayon nagdadalawang isip ako dahil pakiramdam ko pinapabayaan ang hanay ng maralita. Patuloy ang proyekto pero walang nilalaan na relokasyon sa mga taong apektado tulad ng road widening project sa R-10 Navotas ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).”
“Labag sa batas at labag din sa inuutos ng Pangulo sa kanyang Executive Order 152 ang ginagawa ng MMDA. Utos mismo ng Pangulo, di sinusunod ni Bayani,” said Soti Sabarre, spokesperson of TF-AID. “Kung binabalak na maging presidente ni BF dapat ay tigilan niya ang mararahas at iligal na demolisyon. Kung hindi ay titiyakin ng mga maralitang tagalungsod na sa kangkungan siya pupulutin pagdating ng eleksyon.” Fernando has said he plans to run for the presidency.
The President proclaimed urban land for about 200,000 families 2001-2003, but almost none since.
-30-
Have pity’ poor families appeal to PGMA in face off
30 January 2008. Backed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), urban poor leaders will have a meeting tomorrow afternoon with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang where they hope to discuss forced evictions, inadequate relocation and land proclamation issues.
The meeting resulted from a consultation between urban poor groups and the CBCP held last week at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Paco, Manila.
Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan of Tuguegarao and Bishop Ramon Villena of Bayombong offered to arrange a meeting with President Arroyo through the Office of the Religious Affairs in Malacañang.
Urban poor groups want a halt to forced evictions, specifically those done by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the preparation of adequate relocation sites for those who are evicted.
They want the President to condemn the practice of MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando for his failure to relocate families he has evicted.
The Urban Poor Associates (UPA) eviction monitor for the first month of 2008 shows some 1,800 families have already been left homeless after being forcibly evicted.
A group called Task Force Anti-Illegal Demolition (TF-AID) warns of massive demonstrations in Metro Manila if their requests will fall on deaf ears. TF-AID was formed by various people’s organizations and NGOs such as Community Organizers Multiversity (COM), Community Organization of the Philippine Enterprise (COPE) Foundation, and UPA.
The group agree with the words of Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales in a sermon delivered to urban poor on the Paco Estero during the Feast of the Holy Family. “There should be no violence. No one should use violence. There should be no intimidation, no use of arms. We will obey, but we don’t want to be forced or subjected to violence. If government evicts it must prepare relocation sites. This is what we say, the site is prepared when there are houses, roads, light, water, schools for the children, and travel to work must be easy.”
Jose Morales, one of the urban poor leaders who will meet the President, said it is time to stop the social injustice being experienced by urban poor. “Panahon na para wakasan na ang pagiging berdugo ng maralita ni Bayani Fernando. Panahon na para igalang ang batas tulad ng Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA).” Morales represents the Urban Poor Alliance (UP-ALL) and the Ugnayang Lakas ng mga Apektadong Pamilya sa Baybaying Ilog Pasig (ULAP).
Prescilda Juanich, a representative of Samahang Pinagbuklod ng Pagkakaisa, said she is excited because it is her first time to set foot in Malacañang. “Idol ko si Gloria, senador pa lang siya hanggang sa naging vice president. Pero ngayon nagdadalawang isip ako dahil pakiramdam ko pinapabayaan ang hanay ng maralita. Patuloy ang proyekto pero walang nilalaan na relokasyon sa mga taong apektado tulad ng road widening project sa R-10 Navotas ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).”
“Labag sa batas at labag din sa inuutos ng Pangulo sa kanyang Executive Order 152 ang ginagawa ng MMDA. Utos mismo ng Pangulo, di sinusunod ni Bayani,” said Soti Sabarre, spokesperson of TF-AID. “Kung binabalak na maging presidente ni BF dapat ay tigilan niya ang mararahas at iligal na demolisyon. Kung hindi ay titiyakin ng mga maralitang tagalungsod na sa kangkungan siya pupulutin pagdating ng eleksyon.” Fernando has said he plans to run for the presidency.
The President proclaimed urban land for about 200,000 families 2001-2003, but almost none since.
-30-
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Army unit demolish 300 Taguig shanties
01/29/2008 | 12:21 PM
Soldiers guard planned demolition in Taguig
01/29/2008 | 06:14 AM
Demolition team arrives at Maharlika, Taguig
01/29/2008 | 07:40 AM
Soldiers guard planned demolition in Taguig
01/29/2008 | 06:14 AM
Demolition team arrives at Maharlika, Taguig
01/29/2008 | 07:40 AM
Friday, January 25, 2008
Railway people stage rally outside South Korean Embassy
** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **
Railway people stage rally outside South Korean Embassy
25 January 2008. Protesting the refusal of Ambassador Hong Jong-ki to talk with them, about fifty people from railway communities gathered outside the South Korean Embassy in Makati City this morning.
Demonstrators, some of them carrying banners “Mr. Ambassador, speak, listen to us!” patiently waited at the grounds of the Pacific Star Building along Makati Avenue where the embassy is located.
Blue-red-and-yellow paper house boxes, matching the colors of the Philippine flag, were put on some protester’s head to show that a roof over people’s head is a human right.
The groups picketing are people being evicted due to the Northrail Southrail Linkage Project which is funded by the Korean government. Some are residents of the Southville relocation site in Cabuyao, Laguna. They are helped by Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-government organization working on urban poverty.
The Korean government has judged the relocation of the families as adequate based on two surveys it funded that were headed by a person employed at the Asian Development Bank.
“The surveys which play such a key role have never been made available to us though we have asked to see them several times. Now the Korean Embassy refuses to talk to us. What are they hiding, we want to know,” said Ted Añana, deputy coordinator of UPA.
“We want to stress that the affected families are not opposed to the railway project. Our only concern is the observance of the rights of the affected families as enunciated by domestic and international laws,” Añana pointed out.
The railway project involves the eviction of 50,000 families from Caloocan City to Calamba, Laguna. About 30,000 families still remain on the tracks. The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) under Vice President Noli de Castro is in charge of the relocation.
After learning that the embassy officials refused to dialog with them, the Koalisyon ng mga Samahan sa Riles Katimugan (KOSARIKA) wrote a letter addressed to Lee Myung-bak, President-elect of Republic of Korea. “Your embassy officials here refuse to dialog with us. It is as if we were not of value.”
“We write this letter to seek your help, since the relocation provided for us is woefully inadequate. We also want the Korean government to make another survey to be done by a university here in a very transparent manner with the results revealed publicly,” the letter read
The Korean government through its Finance and Economy Ministry has expressed concerns regarding the relocation of railway families in a letter sent to KOSARIKA dated May 11, 2007. “Our government is well aware of the importance of the issue of relocating local residents in that project, and we emphasize once more that we plan to continually watch to see whether it is being implemented according to international standards.”
In order to relieve the transportation jam in Metro Manila and at the same time to develop parts of Metro Manila that were becoming slums, South Korea decided in December of 2003 to support the railway project. However it has consistently maintained the position that “preparing and implementing adequate relocation for the residents alongside the railway is a precondition for providing support for the project.”
-30-
Railroad squatters picket South Korean embassy
Evicted railway settlers picket South Korean embassy
S. Korean envoy urged to address plight of 50,000 evicted families
Railway people stage rally outside South Korean Embassy
25 January 2008. Protesting the refusal of Ambassador Hong Jong-ki to talk with them, about fifty people from railway communities gathered outside the South Korean Embassy in Makati City this morning.
Demonstrators, some of them carrying banners “Mr. Ambassador, speak, listen to us!” patiently waited at the grounds of the Pacific Star Building along Makati Avenue where the embassy is located.
Blue-red-and-yellow paper house boxes, matching the colors of the Philippine flag, were put on some protester’s head to show that a roof over people’s head is a human right.
The groups picketing are people being evicted due to the Northrail Southrail Linkage Project which is funded by the Korean government. Some are residents of the Southville relocation site in Cabuyao, Laguna. They are helped by Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-government organization working on urban poverty.
The Korean government has judged the relocation of the families as adequate based on two surveys it funded that were headed by a person employed at the Asian Development Bank.
“The surveys which play such a key role have never been made available to us though we have asked to see them several times. Now the Korean Embassy refuses to talk to us. What are they hiding, we want to know,” said Ted Añana, deputy coordinator of UPA.
“We want to stress that the affected families are not opposed to the railway project. Our only concern is the observance of the rights of the affected families as enunciated by domestic and international laws,” Añana pointed out.
The railway project involves the eviction of 50,000 families from Caloocan City to Calamba, Laguna. About 30,000 families still remain on the tracks. The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) under Vice President Noli de Castro is in charge of the relocation.
After learning that the embassy officials refused to dialog with them, the Koalisyon ng mga Samahan sa Riles Katimugan (KOSARIKA) wrote a letter addressed to Lee Myung-bak, President-elect of Republic of Korea. “Your embassy officials here refuse to dialog with us. It is as if we were not of value.”
“We write this letter to seek your help, since the relocation provided for us is woefully inadequate. We also want the Korean government to make another survey to be done by a university here in a very transparent manner with the results revealed publicly,” the letter read
The Korean government through its Finance and Economy Ministry has expressed concerns regarding the relocation of railway families in a letter sent to KOSARIKA dated May 11, 2007. “Our government is well aware of the importance of the issue of relocating local residents in that project, and we emphasize once more that we plan to continually watch to see whether it is being implemented according to international standards.”
In order to relieve the transportation jam in Metro Manila and at the same time to develop parts of Metro Manila that were becoming slums, South Korea decided in December of 2003 to support the railway project. However it has consistently maintained the position that “preparing and implementing adequate relocation for the residents alongside the railway is a precondition for providing support for the project.”
-30-
Railroad squatters picket South Korean embassy
Evicted railway settlers picket South Korean embassy
S. Korean envoy urged to address plight of 50,000 evicted families
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
