Statement of Support for DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo

MEGA MANILA

Statement of Support for DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo

It is with great concern for fairness that the Urban Poor Alliance (UP-ALL), a national alliance of non-government organizations and people’s organizations, is issuing this statement.

The aftermath of the hostage crisis of August 23, 2010 was a finger pointing scenario. Because the DILG is in charge of the police, the rush tendency to point a finger on DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo was a mechanical response a.k.a. “judgment without thinking.” There was a flood of negative adjectives for Secretary Robredo that if readers and TV viewers and radio listeners never knew him, they too would have routinely thrown the stones of their rush judgment.

But in fairness to Secretary Robredo, a public servant with a shining record of competence and commitment and to put things in their right perspective, we would like to call attention to the column of Ms Solita Monsod in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on August 28, 2010. Here’s an excerpt from that column entitled: “Ka Vibes” doesn’t seem to be working:

Yes, he (Sec. Jesse Robredo) should have been in charge and apparently, he was in the command center. And if he had been in charge, things would certainly have turned out different.

Judging from the stories from knowledgeable sources, however, he could not have been in charge because, while he is DILG head, he was supposedly ordered to concentrate on the local government side, and to leave the PNP side to Undersecretary Rico Escalona Puno. In which case, Puno, the first undersecretary appointed by P-Noy, should be the one debriefed.

It is with urgency that we call on every Filipino to think again. Our country needs a public servant like Secretary Robredo very badly. He has hit the ground running from day one in his role and function as DILG Secretary. He puts soul and energy to participatory, clean and honest governance. Our country will benefit a lot from the integrity, unselfish commitment and competence of Secretary Robredo, a multi-awarded public servant and recognized locally and internationally. Our sense of fairness as a people should not be drowned by the cacophony of harsh voices that call for judgment that is not based on justice and fairness.

URBAN POOR ALLIANCE – MEGA MANILA
September 3, 2010
Quezon City

*Copy of the statement including the signatures of the different PO leaders in Metro Manila

The Daily Urban Poor

Mula sa The Daily Urban Poor

Press Release
July 10, 2010

People’s Organizations and Task Force Anti- Eviction, an NGO group, are holding a rally at the Pope Pius XII Center during the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines semi-annual meeting. Children will pray to “Bro” a name used for Jesus in a popular soap opera, to ask the bishops to help stop illegal evictions.

A letter given to Archbishop Nereo Odchimar, president of CBCP read, “We write to inform you that the old practices of illegal forced evictions, demolitions without relocation and other injustices have started up again. Within a day of the president’s inaugural speech, the practices resumed as if nothing had changed.”

Evelia Balili, Secretary of Samahang Magkakapitbahay sa Pechayan (SAMASAPE) of North Fairview near Tullahan bridge, confirmed that their 197 members were threatened with demolition a day after the president’s inauguration. Twenty house owners were offered Php 8000 and asked to sign a waiver that takes away the residents’ right to relocation. Their former leader, Myrna Porcare, was killed last year in an eviction related incident.

“We have not forgotten the brutal killing of our leader Myrna and her teen-age son. They were shot to death in our community by the private security guards of a private claimant who claims he owns the land in question. Justice is still pending in the courts and until now, we are victims of housing rights violators and new violations are being committed against us,” she added.

The Church issued two pastoral statements, in 1997 and 2007, about the nation’s housing problems. It issued another pastoral letter in 2009 where the death of Myrna Porcare is mentioned. It also spoke of the evils of distant relocation.

“Through our peaceful assembly, we are sending a message to the Bishops that they must help the poor push the President to immediately order a halt to demolitions until the government prepares housing solutions including acceptable relocation,” said UPA Deputy Coordinator Teodoro Añana.

The church has said, “the government is often perceived to act without sufficient sensitivity to the plight of the poor, especially when the demolitions come without sufficient warning, without provision for adequate relocation sites, and with brutality (A Pastoral Statement on the Homeless, 10 July 1997).”

Añana concluded, “We are in a new phase of governance, we likewise want to retain the good image of the new administration and the Church can help by reminding government of its obligation to follow the provisions of law in matters of demolition.”

Task Force Anti-Eviction said, “This is the right time for the Church to urge the new government to create a government-church-civil society commission that will provide guidelines for the further development of our cities so that the urban poor will have a decent place to live in. In the 1997 Pastoral Statement, the Church stated that the chairperson of this body should be acceptable to the government, the Church, the poor people affected, and the NGOs.”

The groups also expressed fear that without the Church intervention it is business as usual - evictions will grow in number and poor people will be left homeless again on the streets. -30

New Manila, Quezon City

Heto:

http://urbanpoorassociates.blogspot.com/2010/08/violent-demolition-in-7th-st-new-manila.html

At eto pa:

At mula kay sa alkalde ng QC:

Aquino urged to stop illegal demolitions

Mula sa:
http://www.mb.com.ph/node/266200/aquino-urged-

By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO and RAYMUND F. ANTONIO

July 10, 2010, 6:21pm

Members of the Task Force Anti-Eviction asked on Saturday the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to help stop illegal evictions by urging President Aquino to put a halt to demolitions.

“Through our peaceful assembly, we are sending a message to the Bishops that they must help the poor push the President to immediately order a halt to demolitions until the government prepares housing solutions including acceptable relocation,” said Urban Poor Associates Deputy Coordinator Teodoro Añana.

“We are in a new phase of governance, we likewise want to retain the good image of the new administration and the Church can help by reminding government of its obligation to follow the provisions of law in matters of demolition,” he added.

The group rallied on Saturday outside the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Paco, Manila, where the 101st Plenary Assembly of the CBCP is currently being held.

In a letter to CBCP president Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, the group informed the prelates that the old practices of illegal forced evictions, demolitions without relocation and other injustices have started up again.

"Within a day of the President’s inaugural speech, the practices resumed as if nothing had changed,” read the letter.

Evelia Balili, Secretary of Samahang Magkakapitbahay sa Pechayan (SAMASAPE) of North Fairview near Tullahan bridge, confirmed that their 197 members were threatened with demolition a day after the President’s inauguration.

She said that 20 house owners were offered P8,000.00 and asked to sign a waiver that will take away the residents’ right to relocation.

The Task Force Anti-Eviction expressed fear that without the Church intervention, evictions will grow in number and poor people will be left homeless again on the streets.

“This is the right time for the Church to urge the new government to create a government-church-civil society commission that will provide guidelines for the further development of our cities so that the urban poor will have a decent place to live in. In the 1997 Pastoral Statement, the Church stated that the chairperson of this body should be acceptable to the government, the Church, the poor people affected, and the NGOs,” said the group.

It would be recalled that the CBCP issued three pastoral statements about the nation’s housing problems in 1997, 2007, and 2009.

This developed as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Saturday it would ask the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to clear the roads of illegal vendors as part of its efforts to improve road safety standards in the country.

Setting the agenda of the DPWH under his helm, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said he would “ask the DILG to strictly enforce the road increments and the Road Right of Way (RROW) along national roads” as a result of recent road accidents.

Part of its request is to remove “the stores at the end of the roads who occupy easements because they are prone to accidents.”

A vehicular accident involving a container van caught his attention when it avoided the stalls of several vendors along a road bend. “These incidents could have not happened with the proper enforcement (of road safety).”

The DPWH official said the failure of DILG and local government units (LGUs) to clear these road obstructions, then they would have no recourse but to do the job themselves.

At the same time, some P5 billion from the Motor Vehicle Users Charge (MVUC) would be spent by the agency to ensure road safety following the series of road mishaps in Cebu province.

Aquino's Inauguration an Urban Poor Day

Mula sa

http://urbanpoorassociates.blogspot.com/2010/06/aquinos-inauguration-urban-poor-day.html

Press Release

June 30, 2010

One thousand five hundred urban poor converged on Quirino Grandstand in Manila to witness the pro-poor President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III sworn into office. The people’s federation Koalisyon ng mga Organisadong Samahan sa Maynila (KOSMA) and Urban Poor Associates (UPA) brought with them a big tarpaulin containing the covenant signed by President-Elect Aquino during his vigorous campaigning this election period.

Marrietta Garino, President of Pinagkaisang Samahan sa R10 Manila and a member of KOSMA recalled, “President-Elect Aquino promised to carry out the provisions of the covenant if elected before a crowd of ten thousand urban poor at Del Pan Complex last March 6, 2010. We were flashing the laban sign and the dome was filled with big applause. Today, that he will become officially our president we consider this as our day because we know that he will implement our agreement including our security of tenure and moratorium on demolition.”

“We actively campaigned for him, we walked for him, we saved piso-piso for him, and we voted for him. We are very happy that for the first time in our lives we feel that we own the government and we strongly believe that the administration will not, in any way, oppress us,” She added.

UPA, a housing rights organization, observed that without political power in the city, urban poor groups are extremely limited. In the past administrations, urban poor did not have political voice, which made them less influential in urban decision-making. In the new government, people have high hopes that it will serve the people’s best interest through a participatory governance.

UPA Deputy Coordinator Teodoro Añana said, “There is a good sign that the new government will be on the side of the poor. We can see it in the appointment of Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson Leila de Lima in Department of Justice (DOJ). De Lima is known for protecting the rights of the poor and she sincerely pushed for a demolition moratorium. We expect that there will be more pro-poor and reform minded people in his cabinet particular in housing agencies.

The Covenant puts an end to illegal forced eviction. It will not allow any public or private authority to evict families and leave them homeless in the street. It pushes for decent relocation with quality housing, adequate basic services and sustainable livelihood support.

It also calls for the review of all presidential proclamations to determine its implementation status; more Community Mortgage Programs; increase health and education allocations in the national budget; and increase in the housing budget and the extension of land tenure security by all means possible.

Añana concluded, “We at UPA have been fighting for the rights of the poor for the past 30 years. With the swearing in of Pres-Elect Aquino we entertain the hope that this can end the long and painful struggles of the poor. We and people’s organizations will work hand in hand with his administration to build a just society for all Filipinos”.-30-

Suporta ng KOSMA sa Pangulong Aquino

Dumalo ang KOSMA (Koalisyon ng mga Organisadong Samahan sa Maynila) sa inagurasyon ng Pangulong Noynoy Aquino noong Hunyo 30, 2010 sa Quirino Grandstand, Luneta. Alas-sais pa lang ng umaga ay nagsimula nang maglakad ang daan-daang miyembro ng KOSMA na isinusulong ang disenteng pabahay. Nilakad nga mga tao ang kahabaan ng Roxas Boulevard mula Anda Circle hanggang Quirino Grandstand.

Nagsuot ng dilaw ang KOSMA upang ihayag ang suporta sa pangulo. Nakapwesto sa unahan ang mga batang nakadamit anghel na may bitbit pang mga trompeta. Nakakabit sa trompeta ang kanilang mga mensahe para sa Pangulong Aquino - 'Ikaw ang aming pag-asa!', 'Sapat na relokasyon!' at 'Kasiguruhan sa paninirahan!'.

Dala-dala rin ng KOSMA ang mga maliliit na bahay na gawa sa karton. Sinisumbulo nito marahil ang pagkakaisa at "bayanihan" ng mga samahan sa pagtataguyod ng kanilang karapatan sa bahay at lupa. Tulad ng nakasaad sa isang bandilang kanilang winawagayway, naniniwala ang KOSMA na ang 'Pabahay [ay] posible kay Pangulong Noynoy.'

LIAC Meeting (June 23, 2010)

Nagsimula na ang pakikipagusap ng Local Inter-Agency Committee (LIAC) tungkol sa Road Widening Project ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) sa R-10 Tondo. Naganap ito noong nakaraang Hunyo 23, 2010 sa opisina ng DPWH sa may Baseco. Isang tagumpay para sa mga tao ang pagtanggap ng gobyerno sa kanilang panukalang magkaroon muna ng sapat na relokasyon bago ang demolisyon. Nilinaw ang mga tungkulin at itinalaga ang mga responsibilidad ng iba’t ibang kasangkot na ahensiya at organisasyon para sa maayos at mapayapang pagpapatupad ng proyekto.

Nagbigay ng suporta ang mga residente ng R-10 at nag-abang ng resulta ng miting sa labas ng DWPH.

Umaasang makakakuha ng karagdagang detalye sa susunod na miting sa darating na Hunyo 29 na gaganapin sa National Housing Authority, Quezon City.