[Declaring victory of ‘people’s barricade’] North Triangle residents dare Bistek not to emulate the Ejercitos

PRESS RELEASE l January 12, 2012

QUEZON CITY, Philippines--Residents of North Triangle along Agham Road have declared today’s “people's barricade” as another victory of the resident's collective action against the demolition of their homes.

The 7-day period given by the National Housing Authority (NHA) to the residents of Area CT, the community facing the Office of the Ombudsman along Agham Road, has lapsed today without any trace of of demolition team, but with only a few policemen seen near the area.

“Many residents, here, had some shudders after Wednesday's violent demolition of homes in Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City. That’s why today we prepared with our best in case the demolition squad would use the same brute force as they did in San Juan,” said Estrelieta ‘Ka Inday’ Bagasbas, chairperson of Septemeber 23 Movement, a local alliance of North Triangle residents.

After Wednesday’s demolition, North Triangle residents are reported to have upgraded their defense.

This morning, they designed a demolition drill to run through the lessons learned from different demolition cases nationwide, based on the worst possible scenarios, such as the use of tear gas by demolition team (as in Corazon de Jesus), private military deployment and strafing incident (as in Villa Abrille, Davao City), and illegal arrest and sometimes extra-judicial killing of community leaders (as in Kadiwa, Navotas).

Bistek dared
“We dare QC Mayor Herbert Bautista not to imitate the brutality and cold-bloodedness of the Ejercito family in San Juan. Similar incident to happen in North Triangle would really destroy his political career,” Ka Inday said.

Since September 23, 2010, the infamous day marked by a stand-off along EDSA that forced President Aquino to implement a nationwide two-month moratorium on demolition, “NHA has issued four waves of new notices of eviction to North Triangle residents,” Ka Inday said.

“Deadlines set for the residents to take the relocation offer only lapsed one after another, as the residents eagerly anticipated the arrival of demolition crew,” she added.

Headaches to businessmen and politicians
More than a year after the expiration of the two-month moratorium on demolition issued by DILG, North Triangle community has remained to cause headaches to the big businessmen like the Ayalas, and politicians.

Jonalyn Adiao, an 18-year old resident of Sitio San Roque said, “Swerte kami malapit lang ang EDSA.”

Others looked at the enormous size of the community, that it is virtually impossible for the government to demolish the entire community all-at-once without being overwhelmed the resident’s resistance, as behind the success of North Triangle’s people’s barricade.

Nationwide moratorium on demolition
Meanwhile, an anti-demolition alliance called Alyansa Kontra Demolisyon called on President Aquino to order an immediate and indefinite moratorium on demolition nationwide. Its statement said, “The ever more frequent and violent attacks on the rights of the urban poor for decent housing and livelihood only prove that Aquino is truly the ‘Demolition King,”

A militant urban poor group Kadamay even dared Chief Justice Renato Corona to issue a temporary restraining order to all demolitions of urban poor communities nationwide, to show that he is way beyond just being an Arroyo’s ally. ###


Reference: Estrelieta 'Ka Inday' Bagasbas, September 23 Movement chairperson (09462065715)
SEPTEMBER 23 MOVEMENT l CONTRA-CBD l AKD
Balicanta St, Sitio san Roque, Brgy Bagong Pag-asa, QC