(As 'Juaning' made landfall) New relocatees fear for their lives in Montalban, blame the gov’t for putting them in danger

NEWS RELEASE I July 27, 2011

RODRIGUEZ, Rizal--As Tropical storm "Juaning" (international name: Nock-ten) made landfall in Casiguran, Aurora, some 3,000 families in the government relocation sites in Kasiglahan Village Phase 1K and neighboring areas fear for a repeat of the roof-high flood that drowned the Montalban relocation sites in 2009 when Typhoon Ondoy ravaged the country.

Montalban relocation sites are among the most affected areas by Typhoon Ondoy, sitting along the Montalban River where the flood water that swamps Marikina and the northern part of Manila flows.

"We haven’t experienced the big flood, but we fear for it to come every time there is a news of big storm coming," said Susan Quizon, a new relocatee of Kasiglahan Village early this year from from the North Triangle area in Quezon City.

Old relocatees said that the area of Phase 1k was under 10-ft high of flood water in 2009, back then when only cows and carabaos roam the around 10 hectares of land part of the Montalban River flood plain.

Merci Merilles, Montalban Relocatees Alliance (MRA)-KADAMAY Chairperson said they were surprised when when new housing units were built in the said area (now Phase 1K) by NHA and developer New San Jose Builders in the first quarter of 2010, only months after the Ondoy Tragedy. Merilles lived in Phase 1D of the Kasiglahan Village since 2002, right beside Phase 1K. She recounted an 8-ft high flood that sumberged their houses up to the roof in 2009 when Wawa Dam released volumes of water without any signal to the residents in the area along the flood plain including the Montalban relocation areas.

“We expect the government to transfer us to a higher place in the relocation area because of what happened in 2009, but instead, the government gave us new neighbors,” Merilles said.   

“We call on the local government unit to implement an early warning system, and prepare life boats in case of the big flood,” Merilles added.

“We call on the national government to stop the relocation more urban poor families from Metro Manila to the Montalban relocation areas. 

"We challenge President Aquino to investigate the relocation contract including the National Housing Authority and the New San Jose Builders, allegedly co-owned by Speaker Sonny Belmonte, which continued to build more housing units in the Montalban area amidst danger of big flood and earthquake, as studies say the floodplain sits on the Marikina Faultline," Merilles ended.

Reference: Gloria Arellano, KADAMAY National Secretary-General (09213927457)