National Updates National Updates Resettlement and Basic

National Updates

National Updates Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail relocation projects Demolition and Eviction Proclamation Community Mortgage Programme Local Housing Board

Balik-Tanaw: UP-ALL 2006 Resettlement, Demolition and Basic Services Strengthen EO 152 to compel LGU and MMDA to comply with the UDHA provision on ensuring humane and orderly evictions; Issue a presidential directive, ordering NHA, DPWH, including LGUs and MMDA to abide by UDHA and cease using the building code (PD 1096) and MMDA Resolution 02 -28 to justify demolitions of urban poor communities; Institutionalize the formulation of the RAPs or Resettlement Action Plans in every government infrastructure project. Put in escrow accounts the funds for implementing the RAPs; (e. g. PRRC)

Balik-Tanaw: UP-ALL 2006 Presidential Proclamation Finalize and adopt the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for presidential proclamations Allocate funds to support the acquisition and disposition of the proclaimed sites for social housing; Explain the status of the cases of ambiguous titles in the proclaimed sites (e. g. Lungsod Silangan); Proclaim land for social housing, specifically the sites submitted by UP-ALL to HUDCC for proclamation, considering the government’s target of giving security of housing tenure to 150, 000 poor families per year.

Balik-Tanaw: UP-ALL 2006 CMP and Social Housing Finance Implement institutional reforms in the SHFC that can respond to its mandate of being the lead agency in social housing Adopt policy reforms in the SHFC such as the increase of its housing budget in accordance with the localization scheme to scale up the CMP and other social housing programs Hire competent and dedicated persons with social housing orientation and expertise in SHFC;

Balik-Tanaw: UP-ALL 2006 Others: Install a more effective and pro-poor leadership in the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. Stop the PGMA- sponsored charter change now. Continue education on the revision of the constitution. Implement Pro-poor policies and programs, decreasing the prices of basic commodities, and increase jobs for all.

Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail Projects • • Affected families: A total of 21, 023 families from the Manila & Bulacan segments were relocated to resettlement areas in the latter Some 7, 794 families along the Manila-Makati. Laguna segments have been relocated in Southville in Cabuyao – – – 2, 764 families are from Makati 1, 318 families from San Andres & Paco in Manila 3, 707 families are from Cabuyao

Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail Projects • Affected families: Southrail Additional families are scheduled to be moved to the site: – – – 56 families from Pandacan, Manila 62 families from Sta. Mesa, Manila 518 families from Cabuyao, Laguna (with no houses)

Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail Projects • • Southrail: Water and Electricity To date, 3, 238 families now have electricity: 1, 772 of them are from Cabuyao; 1, 082 from Makati, & 384 are from Manila There are two (2) elevated tanks located in Blocks 25 & 42 servicing some 4, 780 families. Water, however is not potable & can only be used for cleaning The 130 shallow wells in the site are still operational; but water can only be used for construction

Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail Projects Southrail: Education • A total of 3, 247 students are currently enrolled; 2, 399 of which are elementary students & 848 are in high school Classes are in two shifts for both levels Teacher-elementary student ratio is 1: 114 while it is 1: 26 for the high school • •

Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail Projects • • • Southrail: Health services There is one health center, which offers free consultation, immunization, pre-natal care for pregnant women & family planning to couples The center provides free though insufficient medicines It has one doctor, three midwives, & one nurse

Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail Projects • • • Southrail: Livelihood NHA has reported to have facilitated skills training to some 700 families since December 2006 Job referrals have been given to 1, 575 individuals & job placements to 795 more Some 323 families were provided financial loans

National Updates Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail relocation projects Demolition and Eviction Proclamation Community Mortgage Programme Local Housing Board

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 5, 745 families lost their houses due to demolitions. 2007 election year but demolitions did not decrease dramatically as in 2004 election year 2004 (whole year): 925 evicted families 2007 (6 months) : 5, 785 families The reason could be this year’s elections did not involve the president. This year’s evictions can possibly even top the magnitude of evictions in 2006 and 2005.

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 Except for one court ordered demolition, all the demolitions involved government lands NHA/PNR evicted 3, 500 families (60. 50%) MMDA 1, 255 families (21. 69%) PRA 700 families (12. 10%) Manila city hall 320 families (5. 53%) Court sheriff 10 families (0. 17%) Location: 4885 families (84. 44%) were evicted in Manila 700 families (12. 10%) in Pasay 160 families (2. 76%) in Quezon City and 40 families (0. 69%) in Paranaque.

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 Violence Three demolition incidents involving 853 families were violent. Two by MMDA; One by PRA Communities living under two bridges along the South Superhighway were violently evicted. MMDA personnel fired guns.

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 Muslim families in Baclaran resisted the demolition but were violently dispersed. Some 700 houses were demolished

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 300 families are living inside the Mosque to defend it from being demolished by the Philippine Reclamation Authority. Water and electricity have been cut off. Even water delivery trucks are not allowed to go near the mosque. Many children are sick.

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 Justifications Manila city hall invoked the lack of building permit to justify its demolitions; MMDA and DPWH claimed plans to repair the bridges; MMDA invoked its road widening, metro gwapo (beautification) campaign as well as its flood control program; the court ordered demolition because the people lost their court case; the PRA wants to construct a terminal on the site; NHA/PNR because of its southrail project. Notice and Consultations In most of the demolition incidents the provision of 30 days and the holding of consultations were not observed. Certificate of Compliance (COC) Most did not have COCs, notably the MMDA and the city of Manila.

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 “Voluntary Demolition” The government continues the practice of threatening people, telling them to self-demolish their houses otherwise the government will totally destroy their houses and the affected families won’t be able to salvage their housing materials; or if they do not do it, then they will forfeit the government’s relocation offer (which is presented as having very limited number of lots) or its financial assistance/disturbance fee offer. In effect, people are asked, if not required, to waive their human rights, in particular the right to adequate housing and against forced evictions. This clearly violates both domestic and international laws which seek to provide “legal and other forms of protection” to the victims of forced evictions.

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 Relocation/Financial Assistance Manila city hall did not provide financial aid or relocation to the evicted families; they said the people could avail of some private subdivision plans but the people found the price too high. Some 295 families received the P 5, 000 financial assistance from MMDA. Quezon City hall gave P 2, 000 to 44 families and P 10, 000 to 70 families (these families also received P 5, 000 from MMDA). PRA gave P 30, 000 each to 121 families, but some 300 families refused, preferring to be relocated with and near their mosque. Some 40 families in Paranaque received P 25, 000 from Maynilad. A total of 416 families (7. 19%)received financial assistance/disturbance fee. The Urban Development and Housing Act clearly defines government’s obligation to provide relocation, not financial assistance. Financial assistance can be availed of in court-ordered demolitions when the government, in particular the LGU, cannot find relocation for the affected families. However, government agencies, notably MMDA violate this, opting to give instead some money billed as financial assistance/disturbance fee in lieu of relocation. Other government agencies, such as the DPWH, and LGUs are now also aping this illegal practice.

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 Relocation/Financial Assistance Around 3, 500 families (60. 50%)mostly those living along the Southrail were relocated. The relocation sites are Southville I in Cabuyao, Laguna, Southville II in Trece Martires, Cavite and Batia in Bulacan, and Calauan, Laguna. Cabuyao and Trece Martires are more than 50 kilometers from Manila; Calauan is 100 kilometers. Distant relocation runs counter to President Arroyo’s statement in 2001 about in-city and near city relocation sites. It also establishes some sort of a record since previous distant relocation sites under Marcos, Ramos and Estrada were 25 or 30 kilometers distant from where the affected families resided. Relocating people to distant sites is a clear violation of international law and defeats the spirit of UDHA. The main reason: people cannot survive without livelihood or work which are found in Metro Manila

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 In Vancouver 2006 VP Noli de Castro said that the government is open to community initiated relocation sites (alternative sites being proposed by affected communities). However, when the Southrail demolitions were resumed he told the affected families in a June 7, 2007 meeting that the alternative sites, such as Montalban, which the people had been negotiating with the NHA and the LGUs were not acceptable, claiming the titles of these lands were not clean. Evicted families can only go to Cabuyao, Trece Martires or Batia. The new DOTC head, on the other hand, said its land in Taguig targeted for the cluster housing project of Mayor Tinga was unavailable, rendering worthless the more than one year of negotiations between the people and the government

Demolition and Eviction: January to June 2007 Church Intervenes The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines issued two important pastoral letters: one regarding the farmers, in particular the agrarian reform issue, and the other about the urban poor, in particular unjust and illegal demolitions. The Church proposed the establishment of a government-church-civil society mechanism to help address the issue of demolitions and homelessness. The government has not responded to this proposal. In Metro Manila, urban poor groups approached Cardinal Rosales and the inter-diocesan housing committee headed by Bishop Broderick Pabillo, auxiliary bishop of Manila. This in turn drew in the Office of Religious Affairs of Malacanang, especially regarding urgent issues about demolitions and relocation.

National Updates Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail relocation projects Demolition and Eviction Proclamation Community Mortgage Programme Local Housing Board

Proclamation Probably the best social housing programme 222, 268 families, with 1, 467 hectares Lungsod Silangan – 50, 000 families Unused land of PNR – 65, 000 families PNR land in Panay -4, 700 families Parola – 10, 000 families

Proclamation Decreasing Numbers (Beneficiaries): Lost Momentum 2001 -2002: 139, 000 families 2002 -2003: 68, 000 families 2004: 28, 153 families 2005 -2007: average of 300 to 1, 000 families Since Mike Defensor left HUDCC No follow up especially for upgrades IRR not even signed by HUDCC Chair/ VP Noli Negative reaction vis-à-vis public interest: Philippine Ports Authority vs. Parola Shipping companiesvs. Baseco

National Updates Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail relocation projects Demolition and Eviction Proclamation Community Mortgage Programme Local Housing Board

Community Mortgage Programme CMP Take-outs – – – 2006: 113 projects with 13, 822 households and a total loan amount of Ph. P 739. 6 million Cumulative: 1, 456 projects with 182, 800 households and a total loan amount of Ph. P 6. 56 billion 2006 performance is 88% of the MTPDP target of 15, 625 families

Community Mortgage Programme SHFC Challenges Adoption of a more developmental and pro-poor framework to be able to reach more poor people. In other words, it should not see itself primarily as a finance corporation but as the new arm of government designed to provide housing to the informal settlers Address the totality of the need of the urban poor for housing. In other words: explore other products or programs to reach a broader segment of the poor in need of housing assistance. Creation of a Social Housing Fund : new sources of financing other than budgetary allocations should be developed. Scale up the CMP though the localization scheme and not by enlarging the bureaucracy

Community Mortgage Programme Advocacy: CMP Localisation Major advocacy campaign of the CMP Congress Support from partner POs and from LGUs (21 cities) LCMP scheme was approved by the SHFC Board in January 2007 LGUs who have submitted LOIs: Naga and Legaspi from Bicol, Muntinlupa in NCR & IGACOS in Mindanao Advocacy: CMP Congress Initial Target Cities NCR: Muntinlupa & Quezon City Bicol: Naga & Legaspi Visayas: San Carlos & Talisay Mindanao: IGACOS, Iligan & Davao City

Community Mortgage Programme Advocacy: CMP Congress Policy Reforms Review of CHFC CMP Circulars 01 – 06 Participation in Regional Consultations Luzon (Makati) : June 6, 2007 Visayas (Up-All Visayas Assembly in Cebu): June 22, 2007 Mindanao (KAMI in Davao): June 25, 2007 Agreement in most of the policy recommendations – results of the consultations will be brought to the SHFC Board for decision

Community Mortgage Programme Advocacy: Consultation Mechanism SHFC agreement for regular consultations: review of policies & procedures Quarterly national consultations Annual regional consultations CMP Congress to partner with SHFC for the review of the BI process on HOA good governance

Community Mortgage Programme Advocacy On-going signature campaign for PGMA to appoint an SHFC Head who will uncompromisingly pursue the social goals of organization

National Updates Resettlement and Basic Services: South and North Rail relocation projects Demolition and Eviction Proclamation Community Mortgage Programme Local Housing Board

Baliktanaw: Local Housing Board Mga panukalang batas na nagpapatibay sa mandato sa mga LGU bumuo ng LHB: Saligang Batas ng 1987 RA 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991) RA 7279 (Urban Development & Housing Act of 1992) Di malinaw kung anong sangay ng LGU ang dapat magpatupad ng mga programang pabahay at proteksyon sa panahon ng demolisyon na inilatag ng UDHA Iilang LGUs pa lamang tumupad sa pangako ng UDHA sa pagtayo ng LHB Kulang ng political will ang karamihan ng LGUs para gumawa ng ordinansya na magtatatag ng LHB

Local Housing Board May inihaing panukalang batas para sa LHB noong ika-13 Kongreso: Senate Bill No. 1607 at House Bill No. 7718. Sakaling naipasa na ang mga panukalang batas na ito, tatawagin ang batas na “Local Housing Board Act”