DOH Asked to Dispatch Medical Teams to Relocation Site

Urban Poor Associates
25-A Mabuhay Street, Brgy. Central, Q.C.
Telefax: 4264118 Tel.: 4264119 / 4267615

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman
http://flickr.com/photos/jlagman17
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DOH Asked to Dispatch Medical Teams to Relocation Site

8 September 2006, Quezon City. Church, environmental and social justice groups asked Health Secretary Francisco Duque to immediately deploy medical and environmental sanitation teams to the Southville Housing Project in Cabuyao, Laguna to prevent an emerging health crisis.

Led by the Ecowaste Coalition, National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (NASSA) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), the 17 groups sought Sec. Duque’s intervention in view of the reported occurrence of skin diseases, diarrhea and other ailments among relocated railway dwellers purportedly due to the poor environmental health conditions in the area.

In a letter delivered today at the DOH headquarters in Sta. Cruz, Manila, the groups asked the Health Department to attend to the health needs of Maria Luisa Yabut and other children in the relocation site who are afflicted with serious skin diseases. Yabut, a three-month infant, has been diagnosed by Dr. Lilia Acebron, pediatrician at St. James Hospital in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, as suffering from scabies and multiple infection.

“The heartrending documentaries shown on GMA7’s “24 Oras” (30 August and 1 September 2006) and “Emergency” (1 September 2006) only corroborated what we thought was an emerging health crisis in the relocation site,” the groups said.

“Even teachers are falling ill due to the unbearable heat, particularly at the provisional classrooms in a huge tent,” observed the Ecowaste Coalition, citing a report obtained from Ms. Elvira Catangay, principal of the Southville 1 Elementary School, which shows that between 10 July 2006 to 25 August 2006, 15 out of the 18 teachers have taken sick leave due to acute bronchitis, acute respiratory upper tract infection, flu and other ailments.

In line with the Department’s mandate of ensuring accessible and quality health care services to all Filipinos, especially the poor, the groups urged the DOH and other concerned government departments to speedily and effectively respond to the health needs of the relocatees.

Specifically, they asked the DOH to send medical and environmental sanitation teams to the Southville Housing Project on a regular basis or until the municipal government of Cabuyao has fully assumed the responsibility.

As a member agency of the National Solid Waste Management Commission, the groups urged the DOH to take the lead in ensuring the safety of the relocatees from chemical pollution. Towards improved community health, they asked Sec. Duque to work for the implementation of an ecological system for managing household discards within the entire relocation site, and to work for the closure, cleanup and rehabilitation of the private dumpsite situated next to some of the residential blocs.

As a precautionary step, they asked Sec. Duque to seek the transfer to a safer location of relocated families living next to a dump. The 200-meter radius of the dumpsite is a no-construction zone under the R.A. 9003.

They also appealed to Sec. Duque to seriously look into the water, drainage, electricity and indoor pollution issues, which, if adequately resolved, would tremendously improve the environmental health conditions in the relocation site. -30-

For further information, please contact the Urban Poor Associates (4264118) or the Ecowaste Coalition (9290376).

COHRE urged Philippine government to do better in relocation of railway families

21 August 2006

Froilan R. Kampitan
Assistant General Manager
National Housing Authority
Elliptical Road, Diliman,
Quezon City, Philippines



re: Flooding at the Southville Cabuyao Relocation Site

Dear Mr Kampitan

The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) is an independent international human rights organisation mandated to protect and promote housing rights throughout the world.

Following our meeting on 27 July 2006, at which we discussed the situation at the Southville Cabuyao relocation site, I am writing to express COHRE's concern at the current situation there. Firstly, the dumpsite remains in operation and continues to present a serious health hazard particularly with the contamination of flood waters. COHRE has seen photographs taken by partner organisations on 5 August 2006, showing serious flooding. The water enters the houses and after heavy downpours can take up to six hours to subside. The photographs show large piles of garbage in the relocation site, which also present a health hazard.

As discussed, under international law, namely the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which the Philippines is a signatory, everyone has the right to “an adequate standard of living for himself and for his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions” (Article 11(1)).

Furthermore, Article XIII, Section 10 of the Philippines Constitution explicitly provides that “Urban or rural poor dwellers shall not be evicted nor their dwellings demolished, except in accordance with law and in a just and humane manner.”

The legal process intimated by Article XIII, Section 10 was in turn adopted through statute under Republic Act No. 7279, otherwise known as the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 (UDHA). Section 28 of the provision states that “Eviction or demolition as a practice shall be discouraged.” Under certain circumstances evictions may be allowed, but must comply with eight mandatory requirements, including: “(2) Adequate consultations on the matter of settlement with the duly designated representatives of the families to be resettled and the affected communities in the areas where they are to be relocated;” and “(8) Adequate relocation”.

Moreover, Section 21 of the provision states: “Socialized housing or resettlement areas shall be provided by the local government unit or the National Housing Authority in cooperation with the private developers and concerned agencies with the following basic services and facilities:
a) Potable water;
b) Power and electricity and an adequate power distribution system;
c) Sewerage facilities and an efficient and adequate solid waste disposal system; and
d) Access to primary roads and transportation facilities.”

COHRE’s fact-finding mission to the Southville Cabuyao relocation site and recent photographs clearly demonstrate that the Philippines is in breach of its international and national legal obligations, due to the grossly inadequate conditions persisting in the relocation site.

COHRE urgently calls on the Philippines Government, and the National Housing Authority (NHA) in particular, to:
a) close the dumpsite immediately;
b) cease the dumping of garbage;
c) replace the existing small drainage pipes with larger ones, capable of channelling the flood waters;
d) construct a concrete wall between the dumpsite and the adjacent houses;
e) construct a canal to redirect the water from houses to a nearby creek;
f) deepen the drain canals; and
g) cover the drain canals with concrete to prevent accidents from occurring.

COHRE appreciates that the NHA is one of many agencies involved in the relocation process of the North South Rail Linkage Project. However as the key implementer of the housing and resettlement component of the project, the NHA bears primary responsibility for ensuring that the above-mentioned obligations are met. COHRE calls on the Philippines Government to urgently remedy the appalling living conditions at the Southville Cabuyao relocation site as a matter of priority.

We look forward to discussing these matters with you further and continuing to assist the Government in complying in full with international human rights law. Our Geneva staff will be contacting the Philippines Mission in Geneva and our Litigation and Media Programmes will explore other forms of human rights advocacy as necessary. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.


Yours sincerely,


Jean du Plessis
Executive Director (a.i.)
Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
83 Rue de Montbrillant
1202 Geneva
Switzerland
tel: 41.22.734.1028
fax: 41.22.733.8336
jean@cohre.orgAnnie Feith
Women’s Housing Rights Officer
Asia-Pacific Programme
Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
PO Box 1160
Collingwood 3066
Victoria, Australia

URBAN POOR ASSOCIATES NEWS DIGEST

URBAN POOR ASSOCIATES NEWS DIGEST

Cardinal Rosales Urges Vice President de Castro to Help Railway Families Living on Toxic Relocation Site

Urban Poor Associates
25-A Mabuhay Street, Brgy. Central, Q.C.
Tel.: 4264118 / 4264119 / 4267615 Fax: 4264118
Ref: John Francis M. Lagman

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17
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Cardinal Rosales Urged Vice President de Castro to Help Railway Families Living on Toxic Relocation Site

Alarmed by news of chemical risks among relocatees at the Southville Housing Project, the revered Archbishop of Manila has added his voice to the brewing anxiety over the relocation of railway families near a dumpsite in Cabuyao, Laguna.

In a letter sent to Vice President Noli de Castro, His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales drew the attention on the health hazards of relocating people displaced by the Northrail Southrail Linkage Project (NSLP) next to a six-hectare dump, which tends to exacerbate the poor living conditions in the resettlement site. (The Cardinal’s letter is attached for your reference.)

Cardinal Rosales, who is highly regarded for his defense of the poor and the environment, is worried about the health risks posed by the dump to residents, especially the children, women and the elderly. Dumps, cautioned Rosales, are known sources of harmful toxins that are capable of damaging human bodies, contaminating the food supply and polluting the surroundings, including the air, soil and surface and groundwater.

“It appears to me that the current relocation program in Cabuyao, Laguna fails to take into consideration the health and environmental hazards that living next to a mixed waste dump might cause to the relocatees,” Cardinal Rosales said. Affirming that “I am one with the relocatees in seeking for the immediate resolution of their grievances and needs.”

Cardinal Rosales pleaded for Vice President de Castro’s sympathetic action, offering four action steps that will help in restoring the relocatees’ hope for a humane and secured future:

· Hasten the closure, clean up and rehabilitation of the dumpsite.
· Ensure immediate access to essential services such as electricity, safe drinking water, proper drainage and sanitation, and ecological system for managing discards.
· Complete what is required to obtain quality education at both Southville Elementary School and Cabuyao National High School Annex in Southville.
· Provide sustainable jobs and livelihood opportunities within the site and nearby places.

“The Southville residents have long suffered from health problems that they believe are caused by the leachate and the toxins in their drinking water coming from the shallow wells built next to a dumpsite. Without access to basic services, it was clear that surviving with dignity in a place like Southville is very difficult,” said the Urban Poor Associates (UPA).

“We hope that the Vice President will heed the plea of our beloved Cardinal and act with urgency to protect the health of the relocatees from toxic pollution,” added the Ecowaste Coalition’s Task Force Dumps/Landfills.

This is the second time that Cardinal Rosales wrote to Vice President de Castro on the railway eviction issue. It will be recalled that on 12 May 2006, Cardinal Rosales asked Vice President de Castro, concurrent Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, to find alternate in-city relocation for displaced families and to work towards improving the living conditions in the Cabuyao relocation site. -30-

For further information, please contact the Office of Cardinal Rosales (5274153), Urban Poor Associates (4264118) or the Ecowaste Coalition (9290376).

URBAN POOR ASSOCIATES NEWS DIGEST: Groups Raise Alarm over Toxic Resettlement Area in Cabuyao, Laguna

URBAN POOR ASSOCIATES NEWS DIGEST: Groups Raise Alarm over Toxic Resettlement Area in Cabuyao, Laguna

Groups Raise Alarm over Toxic Resettlement Area in Cabuyao, Laguna

Eco Waste Coalition
Unit 320, Eagle Court, 26 Matalino St., Quezon City, Philippines
Phone: 9290376 Fax: 4364733
PRESS RELEASE

Groups Raise Alarm over Toxic Resettlement Area in Cabuyao, Laguna

15 August 2006, Quezon City. Environmental health groups have joined advocates for housing rights in questioning the relocation of Metro Manila railroad communities next to a six-hectare dumpsite in Cabuyao, Laguna, and urged the authorities to take action now to prevent a health disaster waiting to happen.

In a meeting yesterday with the representatives of the Urban Poor Southville Association, Inc. (UPSAI) and the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), public interest groups belonging to the Ecological Waste Coalition of the Philippines, Inc. (Ecowaste Coalition) expressed shock and dismay over what they described as "toxic relocation" under the controversial Northrail Southrail Linkage Project (NSLP).

"Being relocated in a place that is totally lacking in livelihood opportunities and basic services and which is adjacent to a waste dump is just inhumane. Vice-President Noli de Castro and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council could be at fault for exposing marginalized families to such deplorable conditions, not to mention, the contaminants from the nearby dump. Children and developing fetuses are most vulnerable to these toxic substances,” said the Ecowaste Coalition.

Adding that “the government needs to take action now to stop the source of chemical risks in Southville and to find safe alternative sites that can provide relocatees with healthy living conditions and jobs."

The concerns of the relocatees about the dump pollution are not without basis. From dawn to dusk, residents have to bear the nauseating foul smell coming from the 8-year old dump. They complain of respiratory ailments, which might be traced to the airborne pollution emanating from the dumpsite. They also fear that harmful bacteria and chemicals from the leachate and surface runoff are being dispersed throughout the neighborhood via floodwaters due to poor drainage.

Records from the Philippine Export Processing Zone (PEZA) show that 33 registered residual waste haulers, mostly from Batangas and Laguna, bring their collected wastes to the Hain’s Controlled Dump Facility in Barangay Niugan, Cabuyao. This dump should have ceased operations on 16 February 2006 under R.A. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. However, it was only on 9 March 2006 that the Severino B. Hain Enterprises, dump owner and operator, obtained the “authority to close” from the DENR Environmental Management Bureau (Calabarzon Region).

Studies in Canada and USA have shown that living near municipal dumps or landfills involved an increased incidence of cancer, including lung, bladder, liver, stomach, breast, cervix and prostate cancers. One study by the New York State Department of Health showed that women living near solid waste facilities where gas is escaping have a four-fold increased chance of leukemia or bladder cancer.

A literature review in 1998 of various studies in the USA indicated that women living near municipal waste disposal sites showed increased risk of infants with birth defects such as eye/ear anomalies, chromosome abnormalities, and heart and neural tube defects.

In the Philippines, Catholic nuns running a health clinic at the Payatas dump reported that in 1995-96 three infants were born with imperforate anuses and about 10 cases of children with cerebral palsy out of 600 families living within the 0.5 km of the infamous dump.

Among the known toxic substances emitted from dumps or landfills are benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, methylene chloride, dichloro methane, carbon tetrachloride, and carbon monoxide. Open burning also released volatized heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins and furans. Exposure to these toxic chemicals is a known factor in the development of cancer, chronic diseases and birth defects.

Housing rights advocates decried the failure of both Northrail and Southrail projects to provide relocatees with access to essential services as required by R.A. 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act, notably the lack of access to potable water, electricity, sewerage facility, waste disposal, and transportation.

Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales has appealed to Vice-President Noli de Castro to delay the relocation until the unfinished work in the Cabuyao relocation site is completed, and proposed finding in-city relocation places for the railroad evictees.

For more information, please contact the Ecowaste Coalition at 9290376 or the Urban Poor Associates at 4264118.

International NGOs calls North and Southrail relocation inadequate and violative of international human rights standards

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

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17

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International NGOs calls North and Southrail relocation inadequate and violative of international human rights standards

Officers from the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), namely Annie Feith and Lisa Giufre, came to the Philippines a 9-day visit (July 18 to 27) to find out the housing rights situation of those affected by the Northrail and Southrail Project.

They visited families facing eviction and those already evicted in three relocation sites (Towerville, Northville IV in Bulacan and Southville in Cabuyao, Laguna) as well as Philippine National Railways and National Housing Authority officials. They discovered the following:

People do not have access to electricity and potable water. This means that drinking water must be bought.

It is extremely difficult for families to earn a livelihood being located so far from Metro Manila. Up to 70% of relocatees go back to the city to live and work during the week, returning to their families only on weekends. A significant proportion of income is spent on transport.

In Southville, the adjacent dumpsite produces a foul smell and many health hazards. Some houses are within a few meters of the dump. The poor drainage and close proximity to the dump means that when flooding occurs, polluted water floods the houses. At least 6 children have died of diarrhea this year.

Schools and health services are inadequate in each location visited. For example in Southville, part of the school is housed in a tent, there is no water for the two small toilets, children must pay for drinking water, and the teachers work 3 four hour shifts because both human and physical resources are not sufficient to serve the 3000+ children attending.

While conditions in slums along the railway are far from adequate, the people said that it was much easier for them to make a living in the city. “It was clear that surviving with dignity in a place like Southville is very difficult”.

The Philippines got the attention of the participants at the World Urban Forum III in Vancouver, Canada when it opened on June 19. Habitat International Coalition, an international NGO with consultative status at the United Nations, cited the Philippines as one of the governments who conducted massive forced evictions and committed human rights violations in the name of development, such as Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and India. Mr. Miloon Kothari, UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, emceed the activity. “The Northrail and Southrail project in the Philippines will, when completed, have evicted and displaced an estimated 150,000 families, with inadequate relocation alternatives,” Kothari said. A Philippine delegation of housing officials led by Vice President Noli de Castro attended the WUF. In one of the WUF forums, a HIC delegation told VP de Castro that his so-called “incremental development” of relocation sites which means transferring people to sites that are not prepared and inadequate violated international housing standards as well as the Philippine government practice of making affected families sign “waivers” to their rights.COHRE is an international human rights organization working in the field of housing rights. Together with its Philippine partners, Urban Poor Associates (UPA) and Grasroots Women Empowerment Center (GWEC),

COHRE works closely with the United Nations, advocating that governments fulfill their international and national legal obligations to ensure adequate housing for all. -30-

URBAN POOR ASSOCIATES NEWS DIGEST: COHRE STATEMENT ON HOUSING RIGHTS ON THE NORTH SOUTH RAIL LINKAGE PROJECT

URBAN POOR ASSOCIATES NEWS DIGEST: COHRE STATEMENT ON HOUSING RIGHTS ON THE NORTH SOUTH RAIL LINKAGE PROJECT

COHRE STATEMENT ON HOUSING RIGHTS ON THE NORTH SOUTH RAIL LINKAGE PROJECT

CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS (COHRE)

STATEMENT ON HOUSING RIGHTS ON THE
NORTH SOUTH RAIL LINKAGE PROJECT

PHILIPPINES, JULY 2006

COHRE is an independent, international human rights organisation that works to create conditions in which people of all nations can enjoy access to safe, affordable and secure housing. Together with local partners COHRE works closely with the United Nations, advocating that governments fulfill their international and national legal obligations to ensure adequate housing for all.

The right to adequate housing is enshrined in an extensive body of international law, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

The Government of the Philippines has ratified the ICESCR. In addition, the right to adequate housing is protected both in the National Constitution and the Urban Development and Housing Act 1992.

COHRE has strong partnerships with civil society groups in the Philippines who are working at the grassroots level to advocate for the urban poor’s right to adequate housing.

Adequate housing entails seven core components: Security of Tenure, Availability of Services, Materials, Facilities and Infrastructure, Affordability, Habitability, Accessibility, Location and Cultural Adequacy.

COHRE is currently supporting advocacy work to uphold the housing rights of communities affected by the North South Rail Linkage Project. On a recent visit to partner agencies, communities facing eviction and three relocation sites (Towerville and Northville IV in Bulacan and Southville in Cabuyao, Laguna), the following has been observed:

People do not have access to electricity and potable water. This means that drinking water must be bought.

It is extremely difficult for families to earn a livelihood being located so far from Metro Manila. We were informed by one agency that up to 70% of relocatees go back to the city to live and work during the week, returning to their families only on weekends. A significant proportion of income is spent on transport.

In Southville, the adjacent dumpsite produces a foul smell and many health hazards. Some houses are within a few metres of the dump. The poor drainage and close proximity to the dump means that when flooding occurs, polluted water floods the houses. We were informed that 6 children have died of diarrhea this year.

Schools and health services are inadequate in each location visited. For example in Southville, part of the school is housed in a tent, there is no water for the two small toilets, children must pay for drinking water, and the teachers work 3 four hour shifts because both human and physical resources are not sufficient to serve the 2000+ children attending.

While conditions in slums along the railway are far from adequate, the people informed us that it was much easier for them to make a living in the city. It was clear to us that surviving with dignity in a place like Southville is very difficult.

COHRE therefore strongly urges that:

The Government gives priority to the provision of basic services including potable water and electricity in all relocation sites, and immediately closes the dumpsite in Southville, Cabuyao.

The Government continues to engage in dialogue with civil society groups to ensure that people’s aspirations are met, and human rights are upheld in the eviction and relocation process.

The Government commits to finding suitable alternatives, such as in-city relocation. COHRE welcomes the constructive and consultative approach taken by the Mayor of Taguig, for example, who has agreed, in cooperation with the National Housing Authority (NHA), to develop in-city relocation sites.

All further relocations be suspended until sites meet international and national housing rights standards.

The Government invites the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing to visit the Philippines to assess the situation and provide appropriate advice.


Annie Feith annie@cohre.org
Lisa Giufre lisa@cohre.org

COHRE Asia-Pacific Programme
PO Box 1160, Collingwood 3066
Victoria, Australia
Tel: +61 3 94177505
www.cohre.org

Railway dwellers to get dream homes in Taguig

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

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17
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For Immediate Release on July 18, 2006

Railway dwellers to get dream homes in Taguig

Thousands of railway dweller families in Taguig City will finally get a chance to own their dream homes as in-city relocation was supported by Taguig City Mayor Sigfrido R. Tiñga for the families who will be displaced due to the Northrail-Southrail Linkage Project.

“Ito ay malaking tuwa at malaking kasayahan sa lahat. Masaya kami dahil natupad ang aming kahilingan na dito ma-relocate sa Taguig. Tatlo yung anak ko, sa Maynila pa sila nag-aaral kaya ayaw ko sa malayong lugar,” said 40-year old Jonalyn Peraen.

Mayor Tiñga announced at the meeting yesterday with the representatives of Koalisyon ng mga Samahan sa Riles Katimugan (KOSARIKA) and Urban Poor Associates (UPA) that a low-cost cluster housing project for railway families had been set for Bagong Tanyag. “We are trying to do our best to give you something na kapag andun na kayo, rerespetuhin kayo, maganda ang tingin sainyo,” Mayor Tiñga said.

Mayor Tiñga also accompanied the railway leaders to a model house located in Diego Silang. “Yung atin lamang mahihirap na kababayan ay bigyan naman natin ng dignidad sa kanilang tirahan. Kaya pinapaliwanag namin, hindi kami anti-poor o anti squatter, ayaw namin ng ganuong kalagayan at kung mabibigyan natin ng pagkakataong pagandahin ang buhay nila e ibigay natin. Kailangan lang talaga magtulungan yung mga tao at pamahalaan. We can make it happen,” Mayor Tiñga said.

The proposal includes the construction of a two- or three-story buildings, to be comprised of 400 units, for the relocation of “qualified” informal settlers. “Sa August 11 ang launching ng housing project. Before the end of the year kailangan naitayo na namin ang pabahay or naumpisahan na,” Mayor Tiñga added.

“There are 4454 railway families in Taguig and most of them are living below the poverty line,” according to UPA, a non-government organization working with the urban poor issues.

Aside from the city of Muntinlupa, railway dwellers from Caloocan City to Laguna are being told by the National Housing Authority to relocate in Cabuyao or else they will be relocated in Calauan also in Laguna.

KOSARIKA brought the letter of Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales on a protest rally at the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) last May 15. In his letter, Cardinal Rosales urged the HUDCC led by Vice President Noli de Castro to relocate affected families in-city or near-city.

“Distant relocation is the prime cause of much of these problems. If people were relocated near their work and schools, for example, family income would not suffer so much. NGOs and people’s groups with whom we work have found close to 200 hectares of idle land in the Taguig and Bicutan area, a portion of which can be used as relocation sites,” the Cardinal’s letter read.

Meanwhile Bishops in Metro Manila are planning to visit the relocation sites and will soon meet President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to raise the railroad tracks issues. -30-

Church leaders, NGOs unite to help railway families

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

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17
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For Immediate Release on July 7, 2006

Church leaders, NGOs unite to help railway families

Empowered by His Eminence Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales and Metropolitan Bishops, Church priests and members of non-government organizations (NGOs) met yesterday at the Caritas-Manila to consolidate views on railway tracks issues for the sake of 26,000 families who were dislocated and some 100,000 families who will be dislocated due to the Northrail and Southrail Projects.

Fr. Anton C.T. Pascual, Executive Director of Caritas-Manila, opened the discussion saying that the Church will now directly appeal to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo because recent efforts to dialog with housing and government officials have not helped in any important way. “Dahil maraming paikot-ikot didiretsuhin na natin si Gloria! Ang kakausap sa kanya ay mga Obispo para ihain ang isyu ng home along the riles. Si Cardinal Rosales naman ay nagbigay ng matinding pagsuporta sa atin dito,” Fr. Pascual said.

The Metropolitan Bishops who will likely meet PGMA includes Bishops Deogracias Iñiguez, Francisco San Diego, Jessie Mercado and Leo Drona of the dioceses of Caloocan, Pasig, Parañaque and San Pablo, Laguna.

Recently, Cardinal Rosales sent Fr. Pascual on his behalf to visit the relocation sites and meet government officials to personally see the condition of the relocation sites and how the relocated families are doing and coping.

“Despite the efforts of Cardinal Rosales to call the government’s attention to the inadequacies of the relocation program, the officials haven’t responded positively in deeds,” according to the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-government organization conducting research in relocation sites. “We have asked housing officials including Vice President Noli de Castro to defer relocation until the sites are ready, but they have refused,” the UPA added.

Fr. Benito B. Tuazon, parish priest of St. Alphonsus in Magallanes, encouraged the group together with Metropolitan Bishops to visit the relocation site in Cabuyao, Laguna. “Ang nagsasalita para sa mga tao ay NGOs at negative ang tingin sa kanila ng gubyerno. But we can talk about it based on our experience on what we saw and what we have heard if we go to the relocation sites. Let’s take videos and pictures, interview people so that they can see the situation for themselves. Housing officials will give answers as if we do not know what’s really happening,” Fr. Tuazon points out.

Identified problems of the North and South relocation sites are lack of social services in terms of livelihood, sanitation, security, education, health, potable water and electricity. Hence, the following are the positions agreed upon for the relocated families: Remove the health-hazardous dumpsite at the Cabuyao relocation site; Fast track social services in the relocation sites; Have a longer grace period for the amortization of housing loans; Assign police outpost at the relocation sites. And for those who will soon be relocated: Start improving relocation sites with social services; Do not be strict with cut-off dates or census dates; Have a moratorium on demolitions until the relocation sites are ready; Find in-city or near-city relocation; Define the guidelines for ‘voluntary’ relocation.

Other priests who shared their views were Msgr. Cesar Pagulayan, Msgr. Celso Ditan, Fr. Jose Antonio Paras, Fr. Enrico Martin Adoviso, Fr. Allan Lopez of the parishes of Sto Rosario, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. John Bosco, Most Holy Trinity and San Lorenzo.

NGOs who participated at the meeting includes UPA, Partneship of Philippine Support Service Agencies (PHILSSA), Institute on Church and Social Issues (ICSI), Foundation for the Development of the Urban Poor (FDUP), Damayan ng mga Maralitang Pilipinong Api (DAMPA), Grassroots Women Empowerment Center (GWEC), Homeless People’s Federation and Bantay Riles. -30-

Taguig City railway dwellers fight against eviction

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

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman
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** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **
For Immediate Release on June 6, 2006

Taguig City railway dwellers fight against eviction

Railway dwellers along Skyway East Service Road, Tenement in Taguig City were threatened to be demolished by the FTI Satellite Office of the Camp Badminton in FTI Complex, Western Bicutan yesterday morning but the affected families refused to be demolish.

“Ito ay taliwas sa mga pahayag ng City government na walang isasagawang demolisyon kung walang sapat at makataong relokasyon,” said Rowena Gepanaga, a resident.

Gepanaga argued that the demolition of their houses will be unlawful since the FTI Satellite Office does not have certificate of compliance (COC) from the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP) and that the property is owned by the Philippine National Railway (PNR) and not within the jurisdiction of the Public Order Safety Office.

“Sang-ayon sa huling pagpupulong na ginanap noong ika-11 ng Mayo 2006 at dinaluhan ng iba’t ibang people’s organization, hindi rin ito sang-ayon sa napagkasunduan sa kung saan nabanggit ng Vice Mayor na walang isasagawang paglilikas ang local na pamahalaan,” Gepanaga added.

The informal settlers were informed on April 20 that their houses will be demolished within 30 days for the creation of the FTI Transport Terminal along East Service Road. The demolition notice never mentioned relocation sites and instead threatened that the local government will enlist the help of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to undertake the demolition if the residents did not vacate or self-demolish.

Engineer Jose Varquez of the PNR Real Estate Department, speaking in behalf of PNR General Manager Jose Ma. Sarasola II, told the residents on a meeting May 17 at the HUDCC boardroom that only the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) has been tasked as the over-all agency in charge in the demolition/relocation of settlers being affected by the Southrail project.

The Urban Poor Associates, a non-government organization working on urban poor issues, pressed on the PCUP, PNR, NHA, and HUDCC to look unto the problems of the railway dwellers. “The demolition being initiated by the FTI Satellite office is a gross maneuver to force the railway dwellers to accept instead a distant relocation site in Cabuyao, Laguna which is the focus of complaints for its state of unpreparedness.”

“Is the South Korean government which funds the Northrail-Southrail Linkage Project (NSLP) aware that the local government is intervening with the demolition of houses along the railways without relocation which is also a violation of the international law?” the UPA asked. -30-

Informal settlers file for TRO against U.P. Diliman

Urban Poor Associates
25-A Mabuhay Street, Brgy. Central, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: 4264118 / 4264119 / 4267615
Fax: 4264118

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman

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** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **
For Immediate Release on June 1, 2006

Informal settlers file for TRO against U.P. Diliman

Informal settlers within the University of the Philippines (U.P.) compound in Diliman, Quezon City have asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court on May 29 for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against U.P. to forestall any further acts of eviction and demolition in the absence of an adequate relocation.

The case with prayer for TRO and Preliminary Injunction is set for raffle today, June 1, 2:00 PM, before the session hall of honorable Natividad G. Dizon, Executive Judge of QC Hall of Justice’s Branch 106.

Petitioner Fernando V. Bunuan and Rodolfo J. Rojas of Pook Dagohoy in U.P. Campus said respondents U.P., with Ida May J. La’O in her capacity as Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs, have threatened to demolish their homes without offering them relocation sites.

They argued that the demolition is in violation with the constitutional mandate enshrined in the Social Justice provisions of Article XIII, Section 10, 1987 Constitution. They said U.P. must also comply with the section 28 of the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 (UDHA), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

Petitioners, with the help of Nagkakaisang Lakas ng Maralita (NALAMA), a people’s organization from 20 barangays within U. P. Campus, filed for a TRO after they were informed on April 26 by respondents U.P. that their houses will be demolished within 30 days to give way for the University’s campaign against dengue by clearing all legal impediments along canals and its 3-meter easement. According to the demolition notice signed by Ida May J. La’O, U.P. is exempted from the coverage of UDHA, citing the Supreme Court decision on Advincula vs. Court of Appeals, GR# 136378 (December 4, 2000). Hence, evicted families, according to the notice, will not receive financial assistance or relocation.

However, the claim of U.P. that they are not covered by R.A. 7279 is false and incorrect, according to the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-government organization dealing with issues directly affecting the lives of the marginalized and underprivileged. “Hindi totoong naglabas ng desisyon ang Korte Suprema na nagsasabing ang U.P. ay exempted sa batas ng UDHA, sapagkat hindi nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na maisampa ang kaso sa takdang panahon ayon sa batas,” said Atty. Bienvenido A. Salinas 2nd, coordinator of UPA’s legal unit, St. Thomas More Law Center.

The Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor (PCUP) has rendered on November 19, 2003 an opinion to the effect that U.P. is not exempted from the coverage of R.A. 7279 (UDHA).

According to the Urban Poor Affairs Office (UPAO), there are currently about 25,000 informal settler families occupying 11% to 15% of the 493-hectare University. -30-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17

PGMA urged to discuss extrajudicial killings with the Pope

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

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17
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** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **

For Immediate Release on June 30, 2006

PGMA urged to discuss extrajudicial killings with the Pope

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to inform His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI of the numerous extrajudicial killings taking place in the Philippines and see if he congratulates her with another “well done”.

In a letter to PGMA dated June 29, AHRC stated that the percentage of killings in the Philippines ranks among the highest in Asia and Pope Benedict will naturally have a keen interest in this matter, with the first commandment being 'thou shall not kill'.

“Your government deserves to take credit for the abolition of the death penalty, together with the many persons, in the Philippines and elsewhere, who have fought for many years to abolish the death sentence. It is a mark of respect for life and recognition that the right to take away life does not belong to any individual or institution. The significance attached to this is lost however, when the same government continues to engage in extrajudicial killings,” the AHRC said.

Pope Benedict will also be interested to know, AHRC added, that priests, nuns and activists from Christian organizations have been among the persons killed.

“The AHRC urges you to bring this matter to the attention of Pope Benedict even at this late stage, and to inform him whether you, as the head of state, are determined to end these killings immediately,” the AHRC’s letter read.

The letter, signed by AHRC Executive Director Basil Fernando, was written after he saw a press photograph of PGMA with Pope Benedict. The caption said the President informed the Pope about the abolition of the death penalty. The AHRC is a regional non-governmental human rights organization of lawyers that has been pressing the Philippine government to effectively stopped extrajudicial killings.

Since the beginning of 2004, it is said that approximately 290 people have been killed in the Philippines in extrajudicial processes.

Human rights defenders in the Philippines, including the Saint Thomas More Law Center of the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), have received death threats for filing cases against government officials violating housing rights. -30-

U.P. workers, teachers, students, urban poor united to stop evictions

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

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17
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** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **

For Immediate Release on June 29, 2006

U.P. workers, teachers, students, urban poor united to stop evictions

Hundreds of people from several community organizations at the University of the Philippines (U.P.) in Diliman, Quezon City joined forces to form the Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan Laban sa Demolisyon sa U.P. (ALMADEM) on a protest rally held at the U.P. Campus this morning. About 500 people marched from Vinzons Hall to gather at the Oblation of the U.P. Administration Building in Quezon Hall. They condemn the on-going demolitions and evictions of informal settlers inside the U.P. Campus.

Present at the rally to express outrage on the U.P Administration’s policy in demolitions are leaders from Nagkakaisang Lakas ng mga Maralita (NALAMA), U.P. Campus Neighborhood Association (UPCNA), University Hotel Worker’s Union (UHWU), All U.P. Workers Union, All U.P. Academic Union, Anakbayan and University Student Council (USC).

The University is known for its activists that safeguard the rights of marginalized sector. However, in this case, the University is a housing right violator, according to the leaders. “Nasaan na ang mga ideolohiyang itinuro ng Unibersidad sa karapatang pantao? Tinatalikuran ng administrasyon ng U.P. ang kanyang responsibilidad sa mga apektadong pamilya ng kanilang proyektong nais gawin. Iba na ang posisyon ng U.P. sa usapin ng pagbibigay ng katarungan para sa mga maralita,” said Fred Ajero, spokesperson of NALAMA.

The community organizations believed that there is an urgent need to find workable alternatives to this most impoverishing practice. “Dapat nang itigil ng Administrasyon ng U.P. ang ginagawang pananakot at pagdedemolis. Dapat kilalanin ng Administrasyon ng Unibersidad ang R.A. 7279 (UDHA). Dapat magbaba ng TRO ang korte para sa mga naaapektuhan ng mga demolisyon. Dapat maglaan ng lupa para sa mga maralitang naninirahan dito.”

“The University of the Philippines (UP) is not exempt from complying with the requisites for eviction provided in Section 28 of Republic Act No. 7279, also known as the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 (UDHA). Hence UP is not exempt from complying with EO 152 since it provides a mechanism to ensure compliance with Section 28 of the UDHA,” according to the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-government organization working with urban poor issues.

It is clear from the law that eviction and demolition involving the underprivileged and homeless citizens shall be in accordance with law and in a just and humane manner. Article XIII, Section 9 and 10 are two significant provisions in the 1987 Philippine Constitution that protect and promote the interest of the urban poor. UDHA was enacted to implement the two Constitutional provisions.

“While it is true that Section 5 (e) of UDHA provides that lands actually and primarily used for educational purposes are exempt from the coverage of UDHA, the owners/administrators are not exempt from observing the mandatory constitutional requirement. To interpret the law differently would be giving UP administrators a license to evict the poor families in a less than humane and just manner,” the UPA said.

Exemption under Article II, section 5 of UDHA is not absolute. This Section also states that exemption under this section shall not apply when the purpose of these lands has ceased to exist.

Evictions are increasing algebraically, causing a colossal displacement of people. Once demolished, evictees are forced to settle on other lands and may be subject to demolition once again, a hopeless cycle of homelessness. Such is the situation of hundreds of thousands of Filipino families in Metro Manila, according to UPA. -30-

PROTEST RALLY IN U.P. TO STOP FORCED EVICTIONS

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

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlagman17
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2006

Attention: News Editor, News Desk, Reporters and Photojournalists

MEDIA ADVISORY

PROTEST RALLY IN U.P. TO STOP FORCED EVICTIONS
U.P. workers, students, urban poor united

Community organizations at the University of the Philippines (U.P.) in Diliman, Quezon City are joining forces on a protest rally June 29 (Thursday) to condemn the demolitions and evictions of informal settlers inside the U.P. Campus.

The Nagkakaisang Lakas ng mga Maralita (NALAMA), U.P. Campus Neighborhood Association (UPCNA), University Hotel Worker’s Union (UHWU), All U.P. Workers Union, Anakbayan and University Student Council (USC) formed the Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan Laban sa Demolisyon sa U.P. (ALMADEM) to fight against the U.P. administration’s policy in demolitions.

Thousands of people will gather to express outrage in Vinzons Hall at 8:00 AM. They will march from Vinzons Hall going to the Oblation of the U.P. Administration Building in Quezon Hall at 9:00 AM. The program will start at 10:00 AM.

The community organizations believed that there is an urgent need to find workable alternatives to this most impoverishing practice. “Dapat nang itigil ng Administrasyon ng U.P. ang ginagawang pananakot at pagdedemolis. Dapat kilalanin ng Administrasyon ng Unibersidad ang R.A. 7279 (UDHA). Dapat magbaba ng TRO ang korte para sa mga naaapektuhan ng mga demolisyon. Dapat maglaan ng lupa para sa mga maralitang naninirahan dito,” the community organizations said in a statement.

Photo ops: A cultural presentation will show how forced evictions destroy people’s lives.


What: PROTEST RALLY in U.P.
Date: June 29, 2006 (Thursday)
Time: 8:00 AM to 12:00 NN
Venue: Oblation, Quezon Hall, U.P. Diliman, Quezon City

FORCED EVICTIONS IN U.P. CAMPUS AND ITS SOCIAL IMPERATIVE

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

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2006

Attention: News Editor, News Desk, Reporters and Photojournalists

MEDIA ADVISORY

FORCED EVICTIONS IN U.P. CAMPUS AND ITS SOCIAL IMPERATIVE

Leaders of Nagkakaisang Lakas ng mga Maralita, U.P. Campus Neighborhood Association, University Hotel Worker’s Union, All U.P. Workers Union, Anakbayan and U.P. Student Council will have a PRESS CONFERENCE on June 28 (Wednesday), 10:00 AM at the All U.P. Workers Union Office to question the on-going demolitions in the community.

Following the press conference, at least 3,000 people are expected to participate in a PROTEST RALLY on June 29 (Thursday). Beginning 8:00 AM, they will march from Vinzon’s Hall to the Oblation at the U.P. administration building to condemn the forced evictions.

Informal settlers are seeking a temporary restraining order against the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, to prevent their eviction and the demolition of their houses. However, the U.P. Legal Office is also seeking for the outright dismissal of the petition in the case filed before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court on the following grounds: 1. that the petition states no cause of action because it states no right violated. 2. that assuming that petitioners are beneficiaries under R.A. 7279, respondent U.P. is not covered by said law.

There are currently about 25,000 informal settler families occupying 11% to 15% of the 493-hectare University.

Amidst the looming weight of Philippine traditional property rights provisions and jurisprudence, where the owner and/or legitimate possessor reign supreme in relation to claiming possessory rights, the need to recognize and realize the evictees’ right to adequate housing and right against forced eviction provide a crucial counterweight.

The mandate to recognize and realize every person’s right to adequate housing and right against forced evictions traces its legal moorings to international covenants, conventions, declarations, the 1987 Constitution, and several statutes. Suffice it to say that these instruments, when juxtaposed with the more appropriate framework for addressing the phenomena of urban poverty and homelessness, point to a balancing of property and housing rights.

Photo ops: The Nagkakaisang Lakas ng mga Maralita (NALAMA), U.P. Campus Neighborhood Association (UPCNA), University Hotel Worker’s Union, All U.P. Workers Union, Anakbayan and U.P. Student Council will form an alliance against forced evictions and it will be shown by leaders holding a shattered picture of a home that will be put together.

What: Press Conference
Date: June 28, 2006 (Wednesday)
Time: 10:00 AM
Venue: All U.P. Workers Union Office, J.P Laurel corner Roces Street, U.P. Diliman, Quezon City (across the U.P. Post Office)

FROM URBAN SETTLER TO VICTIM
A relocation story by Magi D. Nicolas

Annie* and husband Lino had good plans for when they would be relocated to the relocation site in Cabuyao from their home along the tracks in Pio del Pilar, Makati. He works for a group that delivers to a food stall offering lunch meals and snacks to people in Makati. Before the relocation, Lino had planned to teach his young wife how to cook; they would run a carinderia, a small eatery, in Cabuyao to augment their income.

But after the move, the couple stays in Cabuyao only on weekends. Lino and Ana have decided to stay in Makati the rest of the week to earn a living while their infant child is cared for by Ana’s mother in Cabuyao. The wife helps her husband sell food and gets P100 (less than two dollars) for a day’s work, but she says that is better than staying in Cabuyao and earning nothing. Putting up a small eatery in the relocation site would have been perfect: people there are in need of food, but their neighbors do not have the means to buy food -- many have lost their jobs. Ana’s dream of a small business has vanished.

In another block, Regina, also from Pio del Pilar, is being consoled by a group of neighbors, all women. Trying vainly to stifle her sobs, Regina is extremely distressed and is considering giving up the three youngest of her five children for adoption to a religious foundation. Her family has been starving from the time they relocated to Cabuyao in March. Her husband, who was staying in Makati on weekdays to search for income, seems to have given up. One day in May when he left, he simply told her to fend for the family. He has not been heard from since. Just a month after giving birth to her fifth child, Regina is thinking of going back to Makati and working as a cashier for P100 a day, to support herself and the two children who would remain with her.

The Southrail project promises efficient transportation through Metro Manila and south to Calamba, a distance of 70 kilometers. The construction requires that 48,000 families be removed. It is a segment of the North-South Rail Project that will cover 700 kilometers and evict 130,000 to 150,000 families, the largest planned eviction in Philippine history.

Death of “Diskarte”

The relocation has aggravated the pains of the poor. In the Cabuyao housing project (about 48 kms. from where the Makati relocatees originated), those who volunteered to be resettled are now complaining of economic dislocation and hunger. Relocatees report that conditions in Cabuyao kill the opportunity for “diskarte”, Filipino slang for resourcefulness, creativity and street smarts (the Third World nuance is lost in the translation).

The irony is that for decades, except for the small piece of land on which they had their shacks and raised their families, informal settlers did not depend on the government to survive. People living on the tracks are among the most “ma-diskarte” of the poor – they clean taxicabs, operate railway trolleys, wash clothes, sell fruits and snacks, make doormats and do a hundred other things to earn a living. Today, despite finally having homes to call their own, they are stuck in limbo, waiting for the “incremental improvements” that the government promised.

Mang Fred, a furniture upholsterer in San Antonio, Makati before the relocation in Cabuyao, recalls with hurt how a government official, hearing of their jobless plight, derided them with a plain and simple, “Maghanap kayo ng trabaho!” (“Look for a job!”), as if they are bums.

In a speech delivered in May before the Cardinal and representatives of People’s Organizations, sociologist Mary Racelis talked of degrees of vulnerabilities. Problems arise when government administrators and planners with technocratic orientation regard the urban poor as more or less the same. They pay little attention to varying levels of risks and shocks that displacement brings, preferring to look at baselines and averages and apply very standard planning concepts to a very diverse urban poor. She points out that something is very wrong when policies are crafted by people, highly educated here and abroad, based on assumptions inherited from Western societies that have very different government systems, very different institutions, and very different poverty. This perpetuates the facelessness of the urban poor, which is perhaps one reason why many in the middle and upper classes refer to the national law ensuring the proper and humane relocation of informal dwellers as “that stupid law”.

The lack of study and preparation, plus a one-size fits all approach to the issue of informal settlement has led to dismal results: preliminary findings show that in the six relocation sites in Bulacan in the North, livelihood training has been offered in most but only 5% of the 200 families interviewed report attending the training, according to a study made by the Diocese of Malolos and the NGO Urban Poor Associates. Of those who attended, only three of the five now apply the newly learned skills.

Transit To The End Of The World

One relocatee, a mother of three, ponders living in the “Promised Land” of Northville in Bancal, Malolos where there is an acute lack of basic services: “Para kaming itinapon sa dulo ng mundo (It seems like we were thrown at the end of the world).” They feel forsaken and forgotten.

Hundreds of families still live in tents in Northville, a year after eviction took place. Tent families await money to build their homes; others are losing hope of ever receiving housing allotment because of census problems and missing documents. Working heads of households have lost their jobs; remembering the trauma of a problematic census and fearing that they will get passed over if they went back to work or searched for jobs outside, they stay near their tents and earn a few pesos from construction work within the area.

As of early June the six relocation sites in the North lacked light. Some of the families in the sites have been there a year. Developers have stopped paying for the light. There is an argument over who is to blame. Some say Vice President Noli de Castro is to blame since he promised free light until permanent fixtures were in place. Others say this is not so, that it was always understood the people would pay some of the light bill. Meanwhile all agree there is no light.

In Cabuyao, relocatees from Makati are offered a free 5:30am train ride to Manila (travel to the city regularly costs about P100). But according to Mang Fred, husbands who crowd the train station early mornings are sometimes left behind by the train because, he speculates, the operators do not want to give them a free ride. He says the free-ride badges good for three years offer little consolation because no one else in the family can use the train pass aside from the signee.

Government administrators have argued that with or without the railways project, people along the tracks would still be relocated to keep them from a hazardous, subhuman environment. But in Cabuyao, the situation literally stinks. If Mount Makiling, when viewed from the tracks in Cabuyao, forms a lovely backdrop to a farmland vista, at the relocation site, walking distance from some housing blocks, there stands a stinking mountain of trash that leaks dirty floodwater whenever it rains.

At the relocation site in Bocaue in the North, a thin wall separates the relocation site from a factory that emits dark, nauseating fumes. People complain of dry throats, of mysterious sicknesses that they say result from ingesting noxious vapors. A father and his family sleep with a damp towel covering their faces so they will not suffocate in the night. People feel helpless because the factory has been there long before they were relocated in the area. Out of desperation, angry relocatees throw bottles and stones at the factory’s fence.

Since the relocation sites are far from schools, hospitals, marketplaces, and places of work, leaving home to earn a living means using up cash that could have been appropriated for food. The expanded, expensive transportation costs represent a big cut in income that very poor families can ill afford.

People are said to move “voluntarily” to these sites. Actually, they volunteer to move into unprepared sites because they are threatened by government officials: “If you don’t move now, you will get nothing.” Government describes this as a voluntary act. His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales of Manila says the practice is “illegal.” Threats are used to get people to give up their constitution rights to a just and humane relocation. The law interpreting the constitutional requirement calls for prepared sites with light, water, etc.

Suffer The Children

Children are not spared the cruelty of eviction. Along with grown-ups, they, too, bear the burden of rushed, ill-planned evictions.

Another magical solution akin to “voluntary demolition” is seen in the handling of the school children. School was on when most evictions took place. The solution was for every pupil to receive a passing mark to the next grade level, even if their lessons were not completed, and there were months left in the school year.

Lemo, at a ripe old age of 12, knows the pain that his parents have been experiencing since the relocation. Heads of households are mentally anguished because their unemployment imperils their children’s education and chance for a better life. “Mas maganda po sa Makati. May trabaho. (It is better in Makati; there are jobs there.)” Lemo says he does not know if his friends will be able to attend school this year. He quickly changes his mind and says there is a big chance some of them will not be able to go to school. When asked if he is happy in Cabuyao, he says “No, life is tough here.”

The money that a schoolchild used to receive for food now goes to pay for costly transportation, which is why many have stopped going to school. This is indeed very painful because Filipinos, no matter the economic class, dearly value education. Schools in relocation sites in the North and South are far from ready and school started June 5. Government expects a serious shortage of classrooms and teachers. In one case, twelve barangays are supposed to fit in one school along with children along with children already living nearby.

This, then, is the situation from a child’s point of view: no electricity means enduring heat and mosquito bites, day and night. When Lemo and some friends went wandering after a summer storm, they noticed that some houses in the site have crumbled. His father explains that people, in a desperate attempt to keep construction costs down, contract cheap labor. Young ones like Lemo have simple wants: that drinking water be made available because water sourced from the pipes is not fit for consumption. As a result the poor are forced to buy distilled water.

Children have to be kept healthy and, most importantly, alive. But in the resettlement areas, no clinics and doctors are available; children are rushed to hospitals far from the relocation sites for minor and major injuries, incurring transportation costs that add insult to injury.

One-Way Ticket To Hunger?

Threats and/or impossible promises are being made to people on the tracks to get them to leave, as was mentioned above. Now many volunteer relocates tell of stories of uncertainties and regret. Even the people have grown weary of their own misery: “Puro daing ang tao dito (People here are filled with grief)”.

The informal settlers have found an ally in the Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales. The Cardinal has communicated to the Vice President, who is also housing czar, his request for a moratorium on relocations so that the government can “complete the unfinished tasks in the Cabuyao relocation site and to look more closely for in-city relocation sites.”

Construction of the railroad has been delayed for months. Informal settlers are regarded as the cause of delay but the people are not the principal cause. The tracks from Caloocan to Malolos in the North have been free of urban poor for six months. No construction has been started.

It is imperative to ask: at what cost are they building the railways? Will the modern train that brings the Philippines into to the next century be built on the sufferings of the poor?

Next Stop: In-City Relocation

Many would wonder why relocatees feel that they are better off living in shanties, so dangerously close to speeding trains and without security of tenure, rather than in their own lots and homes in resettlement sites. Perhaps it is because the old, rundown homes provided a true sense of shelter as people chased their hopes in the city. Today, relocatees live in unfinished, low quality concrete structures, deprived of the dignity of being productive human beings.

The government promised “incremental development” is another magical situation. This is how the phrase translates in real life: a child goes without food for days; a distraught mother decides to give up her children for adoption so they will be kept alive; and families are broken up because the spouse who works in the city and comes home only on weekends sometimes finds reasons not to go back to his family and their life of despair.

Globalization creates high-speed trains that bring people to their destinations, but if unchecked, also tramples on the rights of the very poor. Urbanization means developers make retail and structural investments that ensure comfort and convenience to people who can afford them, while the have-nots are pushed further and further out.

Socialized housing must be incorporated in city planning. A percentage of urban land must be shared with the country’s homeless instead of allocating practically all city spaces to wealthy investors. Business and urban development must ultimately redound to benefit members of society who need help the most.

We recognize that rapid urbanization is truly a challenge for the government. Given this, we urge government administrators and planners to take a step back and carefully and compassionately review existing policies. Making the most vulnerable members of society an important part in crafting policies will truly make the railroad project a social service FOR ALL.

###


Magi D. Nicolas conducted North-Southrail Case Study for Urban Poor Associates until June 2006. A freelance writer, Magi is an AB Philosophy graduate of Ateneo de Manila University and is now taking a Masters degree in Anthropology at the University of the Philippines.

PHILIPPINE GOV'T COMMITS MASSIVE HR VIOLATIONS IN RAILROAD PROJECTS
by Ms. Alicia Gentolia-Murphy,Urban Poor Associates

The Philippine Government has begun massive evictions since early last year to implement its Northrail and Southrail Projects. The two projects will evict an estimated 150,000 families, which will be the biggest in the country’s history. A total of 22,000 families have already been evicted. Last year the Philippine government implemented phase one of the Northrail project, evicting some 18,000 families from from three cities in Metro Manila and 6 municipalities in Bulacan province. Funds for the Northrail project comes from a $1billion loan provided by the People’s Republic of China for the actual construction of the railroad. This year the Philippine government begun implementing the first phase of Southrail project, evicting some 4,000 families mostly from Makati City. Some 50,000 families will evicted by the Southrail project. The funds will come from the Korean government via a $200 million loan for the construction of the railroad. The railways project will push until the Southern tip of Luzon and will be funded by the People’s Republic of China via $1billion loan for the construction of the railroad. While most of the affected residents are not opposed to the two railroad projects, they are demanding that the government comply with national laws such as the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 and international standards such as International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other treaties which the Philippine government has ratified.. While the relocation sites in the Northrail are near the original residence of the evicted families (in-city or in-municipality), the relocation sites, one year later, are still inadequate, according to a survey conducted last month by the Urban Poor Associates (UPA) and the local Catholic church. There is no potable water, electricity is unstable and in five relocation sites the temporary electrical connections were cut by the developers because people say the government told them to pay only when permanent connections are installed, there are no schools in the relocation sites but classes will open early this month. There are no clinics. One manifestation of the bad situation is that although some 70% of the 20,000 families have built their houses, only 50% have occupied them, preferring to go back to where they originally came from,eithedr staying with relatives or renting some small rooms. In the Southrail, the government has transferred some 4,000 families to the Cabuyao relocation site, 30 kilometers away. There is no potable water, electricity is available only between 6:00 PM to 6:00AM but there are no street lights. There are some school classrooms but these cannot be ready for the class opening this month. There are no clinics. There are no jobs near or in the relocation site, so breadearners have to commute each day to Metro Manila where they have work. The affected families say the relocation package of the government is presented as a house and lot loan worth P150,000 to be paid in 30 years. The government does not always observe the subdivision regulations on mandatory provision of paved roads, availability of water and electricity in the relocation sites. Aside from the inadequacy of the relocation sites, many affected families complained that they had to sign waivers, which Atty Bienvenido Salinas of the St Thomas More Law Center, legal arm of Urban Poor Associates, says absolves the government of its obligations to provide decent and adequate relocation. The situation is so bad that the evictees and those to be evicted have held protest actions at the office of the Vice President Noli de Castro , chairman of the Urban Development and Coordinating Council and designated by President Arroyo as overa-all in charge for Northrail and Southrail resettlements. Catholic clergy have voiced their concerns in support of the people’s complaints about the inadequate relocation sites of the government. Last year, the Catholic bishop of Bulacan province wrote to President Arroyo saying the resettlement sites in his province are not fit for human habitation. This year’s survey has shown the situation has not improved. And in May 12, 2006 new Cardinal Rosales of the Archdiocese of Manila wrote a scathing letter to Vice President about the inadequacies of the Southrail relocation site which received wide media coverage. The affected families and NGOs, in particular the Task Force Housing Rights along the Railways, call on the government to comply with its own housing laws as well as international treaties which the 1987 Philippine Constitution (Article II, Section 2) says are part of the law of the land. They also call on the Chinese and South Korean governments to observe General Comment No. 2 of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which states that international agencies should “scrupulously avoid involvement in projects which, inter alia, involve large-scale evictions or displacement of persons without the provision of all appropriate protection and compensation.” South Korean embassy officials, in meetings with representatives of peoples organizations and UPA, have maintained that they have no responsibility regarding the provision of adequate relocation, that this was the sole responsibility of the Philippine Government. -30-

Philippines cited as a violator-country at the UN’s Third World Urban Forum

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

Ref: John Francis M. Lagman

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** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE *** NEWS RELEASE **
For Immediate Release on June 19, 2006

Philippines cited as a violator-country at the UN’s Third World Urban Forum

The country can face international sanctions and embarrassment at the Third World Urban Forum (WUF III) in Vancouver, Canada, June 19-23, said a coordinator of the Eviction Watch of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), a regional network of grassroots community organizations, NGO's and professionals actively involved with urban poor development processes in Asian cities.

Teodoro Añana, the ACHR’s watchdog on housing rights in the country, said the international community may stop turning a blind eye to forced evictions of informal dwellers caused by prestige construction projects, once the Philippines is cited as a housing rights violator-country at the WUF III.

In a People’s Tribunal Order which Añana will present to the WUF III at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, he points out that the government led by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has violated the international standards laid down by international treaties. These treaties are the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the UN guidelines on the right to adequate housing and forced evictions contained in General Comments No. 4 and 7 respectively.

Añana is concerned about the forced evictions of more than 20,000 families along the North and South railways since last year. “The government plans to forcibly evict another nearly 100,000 families, the country’s largest-ever evictions of poor communities. However, it has failed to provide adequate relocation in terms of decent housing, basic services such as water and electricity, schools and clinics. It justifies the slow pace as incremental development,” he said.

“The governments of South Korea and China are accomplices in these massive violations of human rights by ignoring UN General Comment No. 2 on avoiding involvement in projects which, inter alia, involve large-scale evictions or displacements of persons without the provision of all appropriate protection and compensation,” Añana added.

He points out that the implementing agencies excluded 20-30% of the evictees on the railroad because they did not comply with some requirements or because of cut-off dates, thereby rendering them homeless or badly-housed, citing the studies done by the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-government organization working on the urban poor issues. Government also made many evictees sign waivers or quit claims, believing that in this manner the Philippine government may be absolved from observing its obligations imposed on it by Philippine housing laws such as the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA), Añana said.

The World Urban Forum was established by the United Nations through UN-Habitat to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies and policies. It is a biennial gathering that provides for effective participation of non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, urban professionals, academics, governments, local authorities and national and international associations of local governments.

It is projected that in 2007, the majority of the world’s 6 billion people will be urbanized. One-third of them will be slum dwellers, many trapped in a cycle of poverty but overlooked by governments and with no prospects of improvement. The trend is accelerating, it is said, because by 2030, nearly 4 billion people, or 80 percent of the world’s urban dwellers, will live in cities of the developing world. -30-