(Urban poor leaders not convinced by DSWD Sec) Kadamay to Soliman: jobs and land reform, not dole-outs

PRESS RELEASE I July 11, 2011
 
QUEZON CITY—In a protest action that turns into a dialogue with Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman, urban poor leaders under Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) turn their back on the department secretary after they had disagreement regarding the poverty alleviation of the Aquino administration today at the DSWD main office in Batasan.

The militant group stage a protest action at the gate of DSWD to belie governnment’s claim the its Conditional Cash Transfer program is behind on the what the group describe as ‘dubious’ decline in self-rated hunger and poverty, which is part of the conditioning effort in preparation for the president’s State of the Nation Address on July 25.

The heated argument start between the secretary and the leaders when one of the militants invite his colleagues to walk out of the dialogue because of the disagreement with what should the right program of the Aquino administration in addressing the widespread hunger and poverty.

Kadamay belongs to the national democratic group of mass organizations who believe that the only solution to poverty is genuine agrarian reform and nationalist industrialization.

Gloria Arellano, Kadamay national secretary-general, says to the Secretary, the 21 billion funds allotted by the government should be diverted to programs that can create permanent jobs for the millions of hungry but willing to work Filipinos. We need job, not dole-outs.”

The urban poor leader, before turning its back to the secretary pass a special message addressed PNoy: “Please tell PNoy, unless the issue of landlessness in the countryside is solved, millions of Filipinos will remain in deep poverty and will flock to cities to become urban poor. Implement genuine agrarian reform, and start it with the case of Hacienda Luisita.”

The secretary, losing her composure as the militants walk out of the DSWD lobby, describes the incident to the media as a mere propaganda in preparation for the militants' big annual mobilization on PNoy’s forthcoming SONA.

In an interview outside of the DSWD compound, Arellano defends her group: “We are just expressing our opinion. The secretary should respect our right to express our dismay to this government. We don’t want billions of pesos of taxpayer’s money to go to the pockets of so many corrupt government officials, while millions of Filipino families are starving.”

Finally, the urban poor leaders burn outside of the compound dummies of CCT’s Landbank ATM cards and brochures of DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) personally handed out to the leaders by the secretary.

Reference: Gloria Arellano, KADAMAY National Sec-Gen (09213927457)
Please see Kadamay’s separate Press Release on CCT.