process outsourcing establishments or the so called Vertis North Project amounting to P65 billion.
Nevertheless, we believe that this development must have a human-rights based perspective. The needs of
the residents of the community that faces demolition must be prioritized in any urban development
scheme rather than having urban development schemes result in further impoverishment.
Since July 2010 up to present, massive demolitions, both violent and under scheme of voluntary
demolition, are taking place. Also, affected families are promised with P 5000 financial assistance and a
better life in the relocation site. That on September 23, 2010, more than 2000 demolition forces, 4 (6×6)
trucks, 700 members of Philippine National Police along with 20 SWAT, 20 military personnel, 2 police
dogs, 2 fire trucks and 2 bulldozer violently demolished the homes of San Roque residents. The collective
resistance of the residents in the community stopped the violent demolition. More than 4000 people
participated in the barricade to defend the community which lasted for almost 5 hours.
“Ano ba talaga ang gusto nilang gawin sa amin? Makailang ulit na nila kaming pinalalayas at itinataboy malayo sa
pangisdaan. Nandito ang kabuhayan namin. (What do they want from us? They have driven us far away from
where we can fish. This is where we earn our living.)”
These are bitter questions from Nanay Gemma. She is one of the thousands of urban poor residents who
eke out a living in the coastal areas of the Manila Bay. The Paranaque City government demolished their
community at the Marina Compound, Tambo, Paranaque in 2007. In its place now stands the ASEANA
Business Park and the Bagong Nayong Pilipino Entertainment City. The victims of forcible eviction and
violent demolition have resorted to a floating community at the coastal area of San Dionisio, Paranaque,
where there is again a threat of eviction to give way to the city’s reclamation project – another Public
Private Partnership project.
People’s homes and sources of livelihood in Las Pinas and Paranaque are in great danger due to the
implementation of Boulevard 2000 which includes the reclamation of more than 850 hectares around the
coastline of Freedom Islands. According to research of the Save Freedom Island Movement more than
27,000 families will be directly affected. Reclamation will be followed by the construction of
condominiums, malls, hotels, casinos, private establishments and PPP projects such as the following:
Radial Road1 extension project; rehabilitation and privatization of the Fisherman’s Wharf (Bulungan
Market); LRT1 extension and the NAIA Expressway project.
Unemployment in the Philippines reached the record of 11 million in 2015, the highest in Philippine
history. Urban poor mostly women strive to find alternative livelihoods such as vending and selling foods at
home. However, the meager income and small properties of small vendors are also targeted by the PPP
program of the government specifically the no vending policy for small vendors while allowing the
privatization of the land, people’s park and public utilities in partnership with big and foreign traders.
Since 2001, the Peoples’ Democratic Hawkers and Vendors Alliance submitted a letter to the authorities
regarding their demand for organized livelihood program inside the Luneta National Park and their letter
were granted by the director of the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC). However, on 2010,
when a new NPDC Director Juliet Villegas took office, a new program was implemented. Juliet Villegas
ordered NPDC officer Estelita Laraya to implement the demolition and eviction of vendors in their
respective places. This resulted to the major changes inside the park and disturbed the lives of the vendors
and their families inside the park.
On 6 February 2012, 15 vendors inside the Halamanang Pilipino were forcibly evicted. The vendors did
not follow. Instead, staged protest in front of the Department of Tourism. On 15 February2012, another
forcible eviction took place and the NPDC was successful and confiscated the goods and livelihood
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