Urban poor groups occupy NHA [A 'slum house' built at the gate of the housing agency]

NEWS FLASH l October 24, 2011
ALYANSA KONTRA DEMOLISYON
Reference: Carlito Badion, AKD Lead Convenor (09393873736)

QUEZON CITY, Philippines--To condemn the Aquino administration's housing program that is unutile in aaddressing the housing needs of the people, several groups of urban poor camp out at the gate of the NHA. They built a ‘slum house’ at the gate of the agency to sybolize the futility of the NHA in adressing the housing needs of the people. Slum materials such as tin roof and tires were written with calls against demolition and privatization of housing services.

The camp out is led by Alyansa Kontra Demolisyon, a natinal alliance against demolition and forced eviction. The camp out aims to challenge the agency to act on the massive demolition implemented by different LGUs and even sometimes by the NHA itself, as in the case of San Roque where NHA stands as the land claimant. Some 560,000 families are due to be evicted from their communities in the months and years to come.

“While it is clear that President Aquino signed a covenant with the urban poor that there will never be any case of demolition unless there is a comprehensive relocation program for the victims, the NHA is speeding up the eviction of residents to cater the needs of the low-cost housing firms," said Carlito Badion, AKD lead convenor.

"Instead of catering the housing heeds of the urban poor, NHA has acted as broker of low-cost housing contracts between the government and big housing firms who serve as the ‘private sector’ based on the Publiuc-Private Partnership program,' he added.
The protesters will spend the night in their 'slum house' outside the NHA office.

Tomorrow they will march from the NHA to the Public-Private Partneship Center in EDSA to throw mud at the said agency. According to Badion, the said agency should be dismantled for it will not only bury the already suffering Filipinos into bigger debt, but also for the fact that only foreign and big local corporations will benefit from these PPP projects. PPP disregards too, the rights of thousands of urban poor Filipinos for a decent housing program. ###