North Triangle residents claim initial victory vs demolition

RELEASE l August 30, 2011

QUEZON CITY, Philippines—After the National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Chito Cruz and QC Mayor Herbert Bautista declared their withdrawal of demolition of the urban poor community in Sitio San Roque, North Triangle, the residents who has stood up their barricade since August 27 have claimed their initial victory.

Estrelieta Bagasbas, the chair of a local coalition called September 23 Movement, the name attributed to the last year’s San Roque siege by demolition teams and policemen that the residents triumphantly thwarted, said: “These announcements mean that we have succeeded in showing to this government and the entire nation that the residents of Sitio San Roque, and their supporters will never let any justless and inhumane government move to pursue.”

“We can claim it as initial victory to our fight against the big businessmen like the Ayala. It’s a victory to our fight against the foreign capitalists who try to rob us of our existence in our own country. Our statement that PNoy would regret it if he let tomorrow demolition to happen must have reached Malacanang,” Bagasbas said with teary eyes.

50/50 chance tomorrow
“Still, we remain vigilant, and will prepare our human barricade. And we’ll still be ready to barricade EDSA if anything unexpected happens tomorrow. It’s a 50/50 chance of demolition tomorrow,” the leader adds.

The residents have already blocked every possible entrance into the community, and have prepared a sure defense to repel the demolition team, even the armed groups of the NHA, DILG and the local government.

“We already knew that they have long been in connivance against the poor of San Roque. Their statement may only be a bluff, and we should still expect demolition team to come tomorrow and any day soon,” Estrelieta says.

As several communities are also in threat of demolition today, namely San Rafael in Old Balara, QC and Kadiwa in Navotas City, Estrelieta hopes that their fellow urban poor will hold their barricade strong and worked together as one community.

End of the fight
The 30 day-extension only means that this government is still decided in throwing us into the relocation sites like garbage, and has remained turned deaf to the clamor of the relocatees whose lives they have ruined.

“Even if the government has revoked the implementation of the Quezon City Central Business District (QCCBD), and the government stops in disturbing our self-created peace in San Roque, we will never claim a full victory to our fight,” Jocy Lopes says, a leader of Kadamay-Anakpawis San Roque Chapter says.

“Demolition due to QCCBD is only one of the many things that we have to deal with in this government. Rampant poverty and joblessness is bigger fight that we need to face.

“Our protest will also be a protest against the government’s puppetry to the dictates of the imperialist, and oil overpricing and obvious connivance between Aquino and oil cartel that causes the high prices that we really cannot survive through here in San Roque,” she adds.

“As long as Sitio San Roque stands to its ground, PNoy will always be having hard time in his pursuing such connivance with these big businessmen,” ends Lopes, who has been living in San Roque for almost two decades.

Reference: Carlito Badion, Vice Chairperson of Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap, Lead convener of Alyansa Kontra Demolisyon I 09393873736