Group condemns military, Taguig LGU for W. Bicutan demolition

Brute force, absence of alternatives "hallmarks" of urban poor evictions

The militant urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) condemned the military and the Taguig local government for the violent demolitions Wednesday and Thursday in Western Bicutan, in which scores, mostly women, were seen harmed by military personnel and was carried out without any alternatives offered the residents.

"The scenes we have been witnessing on television - brute force by the authorities, resistance from the residents out of lack of alternatives - are already hallmarks of evictions in urban poor communities. It is infuriating to see these rear their ugly head once more, this time in Western Bicutan," said Jon Vincent Marin, Kadamay information officer.

Marin noted that the demolition was suspended midway, on both days, after Taguig mayor Freddie Tinga asked the Task Force Bantay of the Philippine Army for time as the residents had nowhere to go.

"This begs the question: why was there no resettlement plan in the first place?" 

Marin questioned the city government's original claim that it was not responsible for finding relocation for the affected residents, citing Executive Order 708 (issued February 26, 2008) in which the functions of "clearing house" for the conduct of demolitions, including ensuring the provision of an acceptable resettlement site, were designated to local government units (LGUs).

"Even if they [the Taguig LGU]  did not have the means, they did have the responsibility to coordinate various agencies, including the demolition authority, to ensure the welfare of their constituents," he said. The group also rejected Tinga’s patch-up solution of a temporary “staging area” for the residents, noting that the structures being built looked more like “horses’ quarters” than habitable homes for people. 

Even more galling, Marin said, was one of the military officers' claim Wednesday that they halted the demolition "for  humanitarian purposes," after a resident claimed that he was hit in the face and nape by a soldier and footage showed military personnel brandishing their weapons as though it was a military raid.

"The damage has been done, and the Supreme Court ruling [allowing the demolition] does not justify violence to the residents. Of course the soldiers will claim that this was necessary because of the residents' resistance, but this could have been averted if an acceptable alternative, one that provided for adequate housing, livelihood, and access to social services, were provided the affected families," said Marin.

The group called for the Task Force Bantay to allow the residents to return to the property and rebuild their houses, until such an alternative can be crafted and provided them.

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Kadamay Public Information Department 

Jon Vincent Marin 0910.975.7660 | Radney Flores 0907.492.5184