Two 'pro-poor' govt agencies joins hand to evict informal settlers from North Triangle—urban poor group [Residents claim collusion between NAPC and NHA to implement priority PPP projects]

PRESS RELEASE l OCTOBER 10, 2011

MANILA, Philippines—Residents of Sitio San Roque in the Quezon City’s North Triangle area attempt on Monday to bring down the gate of the National Anti-Poverty Commission. The group’s spokesperson, Jocy Lopez, chair of Kadamay-Anakpawis North Triangle chapter says it is a reaction to the collusion between the said poverty-alleviation agency and the National Housing Authority to speed up the relocation process that has been on-going since last year, and eventually to break the ground for the implementation of two major Public-Private Partnership projects namely the Quezon City Central Business District (QCCBD) and the MRT7.

In an interview, Lopez said the act “is to show that there are those who are against the privatization policies of the Aquino administration sugarcoated as PPP development projects of the regime. These projects will not only let big businesses to extort big fund from the toiling masses, but will also demolish homes of tens of thousands of families in Quezon City. As long as we fail the attempts of the government to evict us from Sitio San Roque, those projects will remain on the drawing board.”

Since September last year after the residents thriupantly defended their community from a violent demolition attempt by the National Housing Authority and the local authorities, there have been deceitful efforts by the NHA and NAPC to relocate the residents to the Montalban relocation sites according to Lopez. “These efforts suggest these two agencies have acted more as pro-rich businessmen rather than pro-poor government agencies.”

QCCBD is a pet project of then City Mayor Sonny Belmonte which when completed will be the biggest business district in the country to rival Singapore and other big business districts in the region. Some 24,000 urban poor families living in some 250 hectares of land in QC’s North and East Traingle areas will lose their homes upon its completion. Sitio San Roque holds the biggest chunck of urban poor dwellers with an original population of around 16,000 families. NHA, the claimant owner of the San Roque land signed a 22-billion joint venture with Ayala Land Inc. to develop the area.

The MRT7 is another PPP project by the Aquino administration that will link the existing MRT3 line that ends in North Triangle to a planned business district in Bulacan. Aside from several urban poor communities to be wiped out to give way to commercial establishments that will sprout around the MRT7 stations along Commonwealth Ave, not less than 8,000 farmers will be displaced from in the other end of the MRT7 line in Brgy. Tungko-Mangga, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan.

NAPC’s North Triangle occupancy check
Since September this year, the Kadamay North Triangle has been driving NAPC officials away from San Roque who are implementing ‘occupancy check.’ The survey will speed up the process of attaining a decent housing project for the residents according to a notice released by the agency to the residents.

Lopez said that the said ‘decent housing project’ is none other than those found in far-flung relocation sites, dubbed by the residents as cavalry. “We fear that the ongoing occupancy check that NAPC has almost completed will be used by the NHA to recuit more relocatees from the residents, she said.”

“Despite big numbers of relocatees who came back to San Roque, and sold their housing units in the poverty-stricken relocation sites, NAPC is insisting us to grab the relocation offers, even denying the impoverished state in the relocation sites.” Lopez added quoting some statement by the agency from a dialogue by her group with the agency.

Rotten tomatoes for a rotten agency
“NAPC should stand to its function as an anti-poverty government agency, otherwise its function will be similar to a rotten tomato in an array of fresh tomatoes, and is needed be thrown away. We demand that NAPC side with us in the case of thousands of families who will be homeless, or be more impoverished in the relocation site once the implementation of the QCCBD and the MRT7 kick in.”

Before leaving, the crowd threw rotten tomatoes at the NAPC building. ###

Reference: Jocy Lopez, Kadamay North Triangle Chair (09291117470); Carlitio Badion, AKD lead convener (09393873736)