(Tags PNoy as 'Demolition King') Urban poor group describes first year of PNoy as 'the worst year for urban poor settlers'

PRESS RELEASE I July 15, 2011

Quezon City--Groups of urban poor under Alyansa Kontra Demolisyon (AKD), a national alliance of urban poor settlers, tag the president as 'demolition king' for his administration's sole agenda for the urban poor is demolition and eviction from their communities.

It is reported that 360,000 families are currently facing threats of demolition to pave way for priority national projects under the Private-Public Partnership, as the framework economic policy of Aquino.

Estrelieta Bagasbas, AKD national spokesperson describes Aquino's first year in office as 'the worst year for urban poor settlers considering the thousands of families that lost their homes in a very short span of time' as the alliance joins militant members of Gabriela in a protest action at the main office of the National Housing today.

Bagasbas, who is also community leader from North Triangle, accounts the not less than 7,000 urban poor families who were evicted from their communities in the first year of the Aquino administration in Metro Manila alone due to different priority development projects under his Public-Private Partnership program. Their lives in the relocation areas become worse than ever."

Among the urban poor communities that suffered the worst of Aquino's violent aggressions are Sitio San Roque in North Triangle and New Manila in Quezon City, Laperal in Makati City and Corazon De Jesus in San Juan City. A number of cases similar to the demolition attempt in Sitio Soliman in Davao City are also recorded by the alliance. These attempts either succeeded violently with countless casualties on the side of the police and the demolition crew or were stopped by the urban poor's fierce resistance.

“We question the place of urban poor in Aquino's development program. When all the development projects require the eviction of thousands of poor families from the urban communities, what will remain in the cities are the businessmen and those who can afford to live in condominiums and subdivision areas," Bagasbas remarks.

In a statement in May, Aquino announced of his grandiose plan to relocate the half-a-million informal settler families in Metro Manila to nearby provinces. Among the administration's priority bills is the creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD), that according to government officials shall solve the long-standing housing problem in urban centers nationwide.

According to Bagasbas, the creation of DHUD will lead to the abolition of the National Housing Authority and the gradual abandonment of government's responsibility in providing decent housing to its people.

"It is important for the thousands of urban poor nationwide that are and will be facing eviction from their homes under the Aquino administration to unite and demand for the president to end its fascist treatment to urban poor settlers. The urban poor have countless reasons why they should join SONA ng Bayan come July 25,” ends Bagasbas.

Reference: Carlito Badion, AKD Convenor (09393873736), Estrelieta Bagasbas, AKD Spokesperson (09126490392)