THE memorandum of agreement for a metro-wide moratorium on ‘forcible demolition’ clinched by Alyansa Kontra Demolisyon yesterday with DILG Undersecretary Francisco Fernandez will not give a full relief to informal settlers living along waterways in Metro Manila.
This Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay), a militant urban poor group, said as tagging and local dialogues between local government units and informal settlers living along waterways in Metro Manila are rolling out to fast track the relocation of the settlers from what the government considers as danger areas.
The said MOA, signed by Fernandez and other urban poor leaders led by Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap, cited that “there will be no forcible demolition of home” in danger areas in Metro Manila without onsite- or near site relocation for affected residents.’
Carlito Badion, Kadamay national secretary-general said, “Urban poor groups should not rely solely on this written covenant, as proven in the past, demolition of homes happened even with a similar moratorium issued by the agency.
The group cited as an example the violent demolition of homes in Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City in January 2011, days after the DILG released a nationwide moratorium on demolition in December of the previous year.
“Urban poor groups should always prepare their barricade of defense against demolition of their homes for the Aquino administration has always been a good traitor to the urban poor,” added Badion.
Moratorium on voluntary relocation
Meanwhile, the group believed that the said covenant however will also be used by the government to intensify its campaign for voluntary relocation of residents to off-city relocation sites outside Metro Manila.
With some financial bribes, the government though the National Housing Authority has intensified its voluntary relocation of informal settler along waterways to off-city low-cost housing in Rodriguez, and Tanay in Rizal; Bocaue and San Jose Delmonte in Bulacan, and Calauan in Laguna.
“There should as well be a moratorium on relocation of informal settlers to these far-flung sites as they have proven to be ‘death zones’ due to lack of employment and livelihood opportunities and social services in these sites.
And as shown by the tragedies brought by Ondoy in 2009 and of Habagat in 2012, relocatees particularly in Kasiglahan Village in Rodriguez, Rizal are more prone to flooding than the residents of Metro Manila.
Propaganda vs another fiasco
Also, Kadamay feared that the covenant from the DILG, including the televised clean up drive and tagging done by the MMDA in waterways in Metro Manila might just be part of the propaganda of the Aquino administration to save itself from another fiasco once flooding hit Metro Manila anew this rainy season,” Badion said.
“In its three years in office, Malacanang has done no significant action to prevent another Ondoy or Habagat disaster in Metro Manila. While its finger is always pointed at the informal settler as behind the flooding, the government has failed to end the mining and logging operations in the mountain ranges around Metro Manila,” the group said.
And while majority of pumping stations at the mouth of waterways remain defective in controlling the volume of flood water, the Aquino administration has rolled out new projects under its Public-Private Partnership program such as the reclamation of both Manila and Laguna Bay, which are expected to worsen the flooding incidents in Metro Manila.