Kadamay jubilant over housing units; deeper probe into housing situation urged

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 5): Kadamay jubilant over housing units; deeper probe into housing situation urged

PANDI, Bulacan -- As members of the militant urban poor group Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) began to remove barricades along five government housing projects here, jubilant over the awarding of units to them, a partylist group belonging to the “Makabayan Block” in Congress on Wednesday asked President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to conduct a deeper probe on the housing situation in the country.

Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago said the government should investigate the housing crisis in the country to find out why so many houses are left unoccupied despite the huge housing backlog that some quarters said happened during the previous administration.

Elago urged the Chief Executive to look into the reported substandard quality of these housing units and the fact that some of the units are being used as a business venture, being sold to buyers who are not poor.

“We laud the victory of collective action, as the occupants led by Kadamay militantly asserted their just right to housing through the occupation of idle housing sites. We now ask the Duterte administration to the next step – to hold an investigation and address the housing situation in the country, not just for the state forces but for everyone,” Elago said.

President Duterte on Tuesday allowed the Kadamay group to stay on their occupied nearly 6,000 units in five housing projects of the National Housing Authority (NHA).

The President said that he would give the occupied housing units to the Kadamay members and promised to supervise another housing project for the supposed military and police beneficiaries.

Elago said that according to the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), the housing backlog as of December 2016 was pegged at 2.02 million units, and this is expected to swell to almost 6.80 million by 2022.

According to the National Housing Authority (NHA), there are about 52,341 idle housing units as of last year.

"The Filipino youth will remain in solidarity with the urban poor in the fight for a free and decent housing program, and the struggle for a just and humane society. We will exert all avenues, from the socio-economic agenda of the GRP-NDF peace talks, to the demonstration of our collective action in asserting our right. For as long as the crises of the urban poor in housing and labor remain, expect more occupations and re-occupations as a growing resistance to the rotten anti-poor system,” Elago added.

Meanwhile, a euphoric atmosphere engulfed the occupied sites in Villa Elise in Barangay Masuso, the Padre Pio housing project in Barangay Cacarong Bata; the housing project for jail and penology employees and firemen in Barangay Cacarong Matanda; the Villa Louise housing site in Barangay Siling Matanda; and the Pandi Heights 2 and 3 housing projects in Barangay Mapulang Lupa, all in this town, after Kadamay members learned of the President’s announcement Tuesday.

Norman dela Cruz, who was among those tasked to serve as security details during the “tug-of-war” period between their group and the NHA, said that many urban poor who were displaced during demolition of their former shanties can now have a shelter they can now claim as their own.

Bea Arellano, national president of Kadamay, however, said that they want to have it in "black and white" to make sure that their members will have legitimate claims to the housing units.

Some residents said that most of the occupied sites had unsanitary conditions due to lack of water supply and electricity.

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