2,000 urban poor Metro residents set to march to Mendiola to demand better housing sites
May 5, 2007 | 12:00am
Some 2,000 urban poor families who were mostly relocated to distant areas and the fire victims who were prohibited from building houses on their former sites are set to march to Mendiola next week to urge President Arroyo to look into their plight.
Urban Poor Associates (UPA) officer John Francis Lagman said leaders of the urban poor groups want to hold a dialogue with Mrs. Arroyo to make her aware of their problems and to stop the eviction of poor families if there is no relocation sites available for them yet.
UPA is a non-government organization which assists families, especially those facing eviction.
According to UPA, some 914 families are now living in the streets after their houses, built along the Estero Tripa de Gallina in Paco, Manila were demolished in February.
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reportedly evicted the families without providing any relocation.
Josefina Velasco, leader of some 500 families in Navotas whose houses were razed by fire last April 10, said they must be given the option to return to the area where their homes were once built. The affected families were neglected by their local leaders who promised to provide them with building materials, she added.
Other leaders of some 1,500 families living along the railroad tracks want the demolition of their houses stopped until the government finds a suitable relocation sites for them. Houses along the railways will be demolished to give way to the government’s NorthRail-SouthRail Linkage Project.
"We are calling for a moratorium on demolition until we are assured of a suitabable relocation," Evelyn Mojica, president of Samahan ng mga Pamilyang Apektado sa Riles, said.
UPA said evicting poor families without proper relocation violates not only the Constitution but also the Urban Development and Housing Act and the United Nations covenants.
Urban Poor Associates (UPA) officer John Francis Lagman said leaders of the urban poor groups want to hold a dialogue with Mrs. Arroyo to make her aware of their problems and to stop the eviction of poor families if there is no relocation sites available for them yet.
UPA is a non-government organization which assists families, especially those facing eviction.
According to UPA, some 914 families are now living in the streets after their houses, built along the Estero Tripa de Gallina in Paco, Manila were demolished in February.
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reportedly evicted the families without providing any relocation.
Josefina Velasco, leader of some 500 families in Navotas whose houses were razed by fire last April 10, said they must be given the option to return to the area where their homes were once built. The affected families were neglected by their local leaders who promised to provide them with building materials, she added.
Other leaders of some 1,500 families living along the railroad tracks want the demolition of their houses stopped until the government finds a suitable relocation sites for them. Houses along the railways will be demolished to give way to the government’s NorthRail-SouthRail Linkage Project.
"We are calling for a moratorium on demolition until we are assured of a suitabable relocation," Evelyn Mojica, president of Samahan ng mga Pamilyang Apektado sa Riles, said.
UPA said evicting poor families without proper relocation violates not only the Constitution but also the Urban Development and Housing Act and the United Nations covenants.
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