EVICTION ANGERS RAIL DWELLERS

Urban Poor Associates

25-A Mabuhay Street, Brgy. Central, Q.C.
Tel.: 4264118 / 4264119 / 4267615
Fax: 4264118

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman
http://jlagman17.blogspot.com

May 11, 2006
MEDIA ADVISORY

Attention: News Editor, News Desk, Reporters and Photojournalists

EVICTION ANGERS RAIL DWELLERS
(Cardinal Rosales to ask for a moratorium)

Hundreds of railway dwellers will rally at the office of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chair VP Noli de Castro at the Atrium Building along Makati Avenue in Makati City on Monday (May 15) 9:00 AM to demand a moratorium on all evictions on the railroad. Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales told the people May 9 he will also ask for a moratorium on evictions.

Railway dwellers will tell the HUDCC that a moratorium of demolition will give it time to give more care to children’s schooling and to family income in the relocation area, and to help house all people including those who missed cut-off dates. They will also demand HUDCC not threaten or scare people into relocating, and to take another look at distant relocation.

Some 50,000 families stand to be evicted from Caloocan City to Calamba. They are currently threatened with eviction due to the Southrail Project. Some 22,000 families (18,000 on the Northrail and 4,000 on the Southrail) have already been displaced.

The people have constructed their own train. They will show how it destroys people’s lives.

The Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-government organization working with the poor families, conducted research in North and South relocation sites. UPA found 70% of the relocatees have built their homes but only 50% of them occupy the homes they built at the North relocation sites. Seventy two percent of the respondents in the South relocation site said they experience lack of food, only 36% said they also experienced lack of food on the railway. This is a 100% increase from when they were on the railroad.


Photo ops: Launching of the railway dwellers’ Salot Train.


What: Railway Dwellers’ Protest Rally in HUDCC
When: May 15, 2006 (Monday)
Time: The protest rally will start at 9:00 AM
Where: Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council

In front of Atrium Building along Makati Avenue in Makati City