Urgent Appeal for the 236 urban poor families in Makati, Philippines
As they confront threat of forced eviction and displacement
On August 22-24, members of Philippine National Police and demolition team arrived in the community to implement the notice of eviction order by the City Government of Makati. The urban poor families through the Guatemala Neighborhood Organization negotiated with the authorities that they will not leave the community since there is no concrete and better program for them if the eviction will take place. The government authorities gave ultimatum until September 19 to the residents of the community.
June 7, 2012, residents of Guatemala Street, received a Notice of Demolition and Eviction from the City Engineer’s Office headed by Engineer Nelson B. Morales. The notice stated that we residents of Guatemala Street, San Isidro, Makati City should immediately leave our houses. Also, according to the notice, the said demolition and eviction will take place on July 16-27, 2012 to give way for the construction of the multi-million Barangay San Isidro Community Complex and also part of the zero informal settler program of the City of Makati.
On June 15, Lino Ojos, the President of the community association, Guatemala Neighborhood Organization wrote a letter to Vice President Jejomar Binay and Makati City Mayor Jun Jun Binay asking for reconsideration.
On July 20, 2012, the residents through the Guatemala Neighborhood Organization trooped to the Coconut Palace at the office of Vice President Jejomar Binay to seek for dialogue and to ask for consideration for their demands but VP Binay did not face the residents.
A “pre demolition conference” was called on July 23 and 25 at the San Isidro Barangay Hall and New Makati City Hall respectively. On the said conference, the City Government insisted that the residents of Guatemala Street should immediately vacate the area and that relocation program in Calauan, Laguna Province is prepared by the government.
The affected families reiterated their opposition to the government program because of the following reasons:
1. The relocation site in Calauan, Laguna Province is too far from their work and sources of livelihood which is mainly vending or selling food in public places.
2. The relocation site has no accessibility to materials and other infrastructure. When they conducted an ocular inspection of the relocation site, there are no houses, water and electricity facilities. In fact, there are more than nine hundred (900) families in the area waiting for the promised housing program. The families arrived there without housing structures and other basic social services. Worst, since the project is urgent, they will be housed in a public school as their temporary shelter in Calauan, Laguna.
3. We believe that the living condition in the relocation site will only worsen our already bad condition.
4. We believe that the City of Makati’s policy of forced demolition and eviction and relocation program to the province will not resolve the roots of informal settling and poverty in the city. Many of the poor families who have already relocated in the provinces go back in the city and in Metro Manila due to the lack of livelihood and other social services.
Short Background
The residents of Guatemala St., San Isidro, Makati City resided in the area since 1970’s. The lot was formerly a private land but later acquired by the government. Since then, the residents are asking the help of the government to develop the area for their housing. However, the residents experienced constant threat of demolition on 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2012.
Recommendations:
1. Stop the Eviction. The government should focus on helping us to develop our community and not to forcibly evict and demolished our dwellings.
2. The government should give us decent work or employment opportunities for us to uplift our living.
Please send this appeal to:
Honorable Jejomar Binay
Vice President of the Philippines
Chairman, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council
Email: info@hudcc.gov.ph
Honorable Jejomar “ Jun Jun” Binay Jr.
Mayor, Makati City
Email: om@makati.gov.ph
ATTY. CHITO M. CRUZ
General Manager
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