IndyMedia - Vrij Media Centrum Nederland

Wanneer: 11/07/2013 - 09:57

Poor homeless Philippino families are fighting against the demolition of their homes and demand relocation of their family and community.
Be one with the struggle of the urban poor for jobs, homes and justice. Send solidarity statements and any form of support to the victims of demolition!

Dear friends:

July 4, 2013.

At 6:00 in the morning, more than 200 demolition personnel, 200 Bantay Bayan Volunteers, 50 staff of City Engineer’s Office and CSWD, 50 members of Bureau of Fire Protection, 4 fire trucks and more than 20 trucks arrived in the community of Hulo Dulo, Friendsville, Bignay, Valenzuela. At 7:00 AM, Philippine National Police came and 50 members of Special Weapons and Tactics.

Community residents Ricardo Gagat, Rowena Fronda and with other residents immediately approached the City Government’s representatives and the policemen to negotiate. They asked to stop the demolition since they have an appeal to the Mayor which they submitted on July 3, 2013 asking for a decent relocation which has access to schools and to their place of work. However, the LGU representatives said that their letter is not valid anymore since the decision to demolish them is final and cannot be changed by the present Mayor Rex Gatchalian, brother of the former Mayor Win Gatchalian.

At 8:00 in the morning, demolition team assisted by the Philippine National Police move forward to the community and disperse the community’s barricade and started to demolish (using backhoe) all houses and structures in the community.

The reason of the City Government to demolish them is they are under the transmission line of the National Grid Corporation. The residents said that they are willing to leave the area but the local government has no concrete plan on where to relocate them.

Two hundred thirteen (213) families were left homeless since the City Government of Valenzuela has no plan and program for the displaced families aside from the P5000 financial assistance which was given during the first demolition on May 31, 2013.

One community leader, Ricardo Gagat (also a trade union member at Pentagon Steel Corporation) was illegally arrested and now detained at the Valenzuela City Police Station. He was charged with slight and serious physical injury, alarm and scandal.

We believe that this is another violations to the basic human rights of the affected families not only the right to adequate housing but their right to food, work, education and to live.

This incident in Bignay, Valenzuela is the same situation that our fellow countrymen living in waterways and in other urban poor communities are facing. They were totally abandoned by the government and being treated like garbage while the government has big favors to big foreign corporations and giving them the right to our lands and natural resources. Yet, the Filipino people especially the poor are homeless, jobless, foodless and landless.

Be one with the struggle of the urban poor for jobs, homes and justice. Send solidarity statements and any form of support to the victims of demolition.

Defend Job Philippines/Demolition Watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqvEExrdUcg&feature=youtu.be
http://defendjobphilippines.wordpress.com/human-rights-defenders/