'Faces of poverty in PH become more obvious, tragic,' says urban poor center

MEDIA RELEASE
09 January 2012

MANILA, Philippines--An urban poor center has claimed that government's anti-poor policies have contributed to the tragedy that befell two urban poor Filipinos early this year, and may give us an explanation for the increasing number of Black Nazarene devotees.

These policies, according to a statement of Urban Poor Resource Center of the Philippines, Inc. (UPRCP), have only resulted in a more obvious and tragic face of poverty in the country.

It further said that "the government programs including its massive relocation program and the palliative Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) have directly and indirectly resulted in a more chronic and painstaking poverty for the most vulnerable Filipinos."

Addressing poverty
UPRCP claimed that "The government's flagship poverty-alleviation program which is 4Ps only turns out as palliative in the process, eating up a huge chunk of the national budget that could have been used more effectively in providing basic social services for the poor."

According to Luis Clarin, UPRCP Executive Director, “4Ps has not really addressed the chronic poverty that is driven by the highly unequal land and property distribution to the people, and the massive unemployment, while the government continues to deny the poor of their basic right for shelter, decent job and living wage”

Clarin said: "The government;s anti-poor policies are undeniably behind the sad fate of Roy Navarro, 33, and Robert Estorque, 33, who both lost their sanity and committed suicide and massacre, respectively.

Particular cases
Roy Navarro, Clarin cited, has committed suicide after losing his home to the Sendong flash flood in Cagayan de Oro City, and a slot in the government’s tent city. Another angle is his exclusion from the beneficiaries of Aquino’s dole-out program.

“Navarro’s case is only one of dozens of accounted poverty-driven suicide in the country,” Clarin added.

Meanwhile, relatives have claimed that Estorque is a victim of the harsh condition in the government’s relocation sites.

“After the government has ordered the demolition of homes in the Sitio San Roque, North Triangle in Quezon City, Estorque and his family immediately transferred to Montalban, Rizal,” said Clarin.

“After some months, he returned to the urban poor community due to joblessness and grave poverty in the relocation site. The condition eventually drove him to lose sanity and stab four residents in the community,” he continued.

More tragic face of poverty
"The face of poverty will become more obvious and tragic as the Aquino administration remains a die-hard endorser of the interests of the local ruling elites and of the imperialists at the expense of its people," he said.

The Aquino administration poses a great hindrance towards the implementation of genuine agrarian reform and a nationalist industrialization program in the country, which are the only means for the millions of Filipino poor to break free from the bonds of poverty," he added.

“It can also explain the ever increasing devotees of the Black Nazarene, with a record of eight to nine million marchers this year,” he said.

Clarin finally said, "Given the very chronic poverty that infests the semi-feudal and semi-colonial Philippine society, socialism is the last resort to bring concrete hope to the growing and ever suffering poor Filipinos."

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Urban Poor Resource Center of the Philippines (UPRCP)
Room 101, ARCSEA Building, Don Antonio Heights, QC
Reference: Luis Clarin, Executive Director (09081096969)