Urban poor group opposes Manila Bay cleanup

MANILA, Philippines - A group claiming to represent the urban poor asked the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday to consider the welfare of 70,000 urban poor families whose shanties along Manila Bay or its connecting waterways are in danger of being demolished as part of the cleanup of Manila Bay.

The Urban Poor Associates (UPA), through Ritche Esponilla, said the SC should convene the advisory committee created eight months ago for the project and determine if the rights of the urban poor have been violated.

He said the 70,000 urban poor families have not been properly relocated, and there are reports that unannounced and illegal demolitions were carried out earlier this year along waterways and canals connected to the bay.

Esponilla said while the cleanup is valuable and must be duly supported by all sectors, it must not come at the expense of displacing thousands of urban poor families already marginalized by society.

“Let us be clear about two things here. One, the poor are not the major cause of the floodings. Second, the urban poor communities are not against any move to clean up Manila Bay in order to restore its former splendor,” he said.

The UPA said floods could be caused by urban planning defects and environmental degradation as a result of illegal logging and quarrying activities in the mountains around Metro Manila. The group also said the urban poor dwellers along canals, waterways and other so-called danger areas are there not as a “matter of choice” but because they need to survive.

“As such, we believe in the effort to clean up Manila Bay, a comprehensive and decent relocation program and immediate economic relief must come with the initiative,” Esponilla said. – Edu Punay