North Triangle residents step up vigilance vs. Aquino’s all-out war vs. urban poor settlers [“We are slashed not only of our homes, but also of our right to live” ]

PRESS RELEASE l 27 October 2011
CONTRA-CBD l SEPTEMBER 23 MOVEMENT l ALYANSA KONTRA DEMOLISYON
REFERENCE: Carlito Badion, AKD Lead Convenor (09393873736)

QUEZON CITY, Philippines—As the 60-day moratorium on demolition of homes issued by the National Housing Authority is soon to expire by the end of the month, residents of North Triangle are stepping up their vigilance to defend Sitio San Roque.

“As the end of the 60-day moratorium is soon to end, we are once again in full battle mode to fend off demolition teams,” Estrelieta “Ka Inday” Bagasbas, a local leader in San Roque. “As we have done in the past, we will never get tired of fighting the anti-poor the Quezon City Central Business District project,” Estrelieta Bagasbas said who is local community leader.

Residents of North Triangle with support groups started on Wednesday their type of community defense--barricades and noise barrage to encourage support from the residents. San Roque has plenty of outside supporters including urban poor groups under Alyansa Kontra Demolisyon and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan who like the San Roque residents are also threatened by Aquino’s demolition rampage. In the previous days, these groups stormed the offices of Public-Private Partnership Center and a building of the Ayala Land, Inc. in Makati.

Aquino’s all-out war against urban poor settlers

Today’s activity is spearheaded by September 23 Movement, a local coalition with name attributed to the famous day two years ago when San Roque triumphantly defended their community against demolition. The members march inside the community to call on the residence to step up their vigilance against the possibility of demolition by the end of the month. Their parade through the streets of San Roque ended at EDSA where they hold a program condemning the ‘all-out war’ waged by the Aquino administration against urban poor settlers similar to how the government faces the Mindanao crisis.

Residents are joined by relocatees from Montalban who question the housing policies and program of the Aquino administration for those who are victims of the government’s demolition rampage. “We are not only slashed of our homes but also of our right to live,” a Montalban relocatee said.

According to a statement from CONCERNED ORGANIZATIONS AGAINST TRANSFER, LAY-OFF, DEMOLITION AND PRIVATIZATION FOR THE QUEZON CITY CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT (CONTRACBD), an alliance of those affected, “the demolition of homes of some 24,000 urban poor families for a single business district owned by the Ayala Land, Inc. shows how corporate greed is tramping on the right of the Filipino toiling masses.” Thousands of government and hospital workers shall also be dislodged from their work as the implementation of PhP22B-worth QCCBD kicks in, according to the group.

“The urban poor has no place in the development plan of the Aquino administration, as bad as treating them as garbage and impendent to development,” said Bagasbas.

361,000 families homeless due to priority PPP projects

According to Carlito Badion, lead convener of Alyansa Kontra Demolisyon, a national alliance against demolition and forced evictions, “PPP as the framework of development of the Aquino administration is anti-poor for it will only bury the already suffering Filipinos into bigger debt. Only foreign and big local corporations like the Ayalas will benefit from these PPP projects, aside from tramping on the rights of thousands of urban poor Filipinos for a decent housing program.”

Some 361,000 urban poor families will be dislocated as the implementation of major PPP projects in Metro Manila kicks in. ###