Leave or be evicted, NHA tells militants

MANILA, Philippines - Vacate the housing units or face eviction.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) issued this warning yesterday to members of the militant group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) who occupied government housing projects in Bulacan, saying they have seven days or until Sunday to leave.

NHA spokesperson Elsie Trinidad said they served more than 600 eviction notices at Villa Elise in Barangay Masuso, Village 2 in Mapulang Lupa, Villa Louise in Cacarong Matanda and Padre Pio in Cacarong Bata in Pandi and San Jose Heights in San Jose del Monte City.

Trinidad said an inter-agency group composed of the police, local government officials and homeowners would visit the housing projects on Monday to check if the militants had left.

She said the government is willing to hold a dialogue with Kadamay to avoid violence. “Let us not wait for eviction. We are open…until…the eviction notices expire,” Trinidad said.

She clarified that a dialogue does not mean the NHA would award the units to its occupants. She said the militants could avail themselves of houses in other government projects, but they should go through the process.

Not yet awarded

Trinidad blamed the housing board of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police for the delay in awarding the units to police and military personnel.

Superintendent Romeo Caramat, Bulacan police acting director, said some of the beneficiaries paid only P5,000 in processing and reservation fees.

“The properties have not been awarded. We cannot act immediately unless there is a complainant,” Caramat told a phone interview when asked why they did not prevent the militants from taking over the housing units. 

Food packs

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) defended the distribution of food packs to members of Kadamay.

“Our mandate is to help those who are in need of our services and assistance. That is what we did and will continue to do for the urban poor in Bulacan…The urban poor there is facing a crisis situation,” Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said.

Taguiwalo said the distribution of food packs does not mean they support the takeover of housing units. 

The DSWD distributed food packs to more than 2,000 families who occupied housing units in Pandi.

“We do not discriminate against those who are in crisis situations and are in immediate need of our help,” Taguiwalo said.

Joint probe

As this developed, Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito and Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, who chair the housing and urban development committees in the Senate and the House, respectively, filed resolutions calling for a joint inquiry into the incident.

“It is imperative that we make an inventory of available, unoccupied and idle housing units for immediate awarding to qualified homeless people to prevent wastage of public funds and properties and decrease the number of housing needs in the country,” Ejercito said in Senate Resolution 332.        

Benitez said the incident should be an opportunity for Congress to look into the government resettlement program to allow Congress to enact “policy interventions” and solve the housing backlog. – With Janvic Mateo, Paolo Romero