MANILA, Philippines?On a colorful paper, urban poor leader Felomina Cinco scribbled a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary to save her neighborhood from a looming demolition.

Cinco was hopeful her prayers would be answered. It was after all the birthday of the Virgin Mary.

Running priest Fr. Robert Reyes yesterday brought to Estero de San Miguel in Manila the Cart of Mary, more popularly known as ?Kariton ni Maria,? to provide the forlorn neighborhood some sense of hope amid a government demolition targeting slums along Metro Manila?s waterways.

Catholics commemorate the nativity of the Virgin Mary on Sept. 8.

?This Cart of Mary is a constant reminder to the poor that they are not alone in times of misery,? said Reyes.

The cart carrying the Virgin Mary?s image drew more than 200 residents from Estero de San Sebastian and Estero de San Miguel, who wrote their personal prayers on bright-colored papers and then later posted them on the cart.

The residents had a common plea: That the government impose a moratorium of three to four months on demolition and approve their proposed on-site development.

?This celebration calls on the government agencies involved in cleaning waterways to find appropriate and sensible solutions to the perceived problem,? said Reyes.

The Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-profit organization, said that more than 80,000 poor Filipino households, mostly fishermen, living along waterways were in danger of being evicted from their homes.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources earlier announced plans to remove all shanties erected along the waterways in response to the flooding woes in the capital and neighboring provinces.

Waterway residents had sought the help of Palafox Architects to create a feasible housing design that would not interfere with the government?s rehabilitation program on ?esteros,? according to Princess Asuncion, UPA media advocacy officer.

Asuncion said the UPA believed that the housing proposal was possible in the country like what has been done in Bangkok, Thailand, where 3,400 families benefited from a ?slum upgrading? on the Bang Bua Canal.

Cinco, president of Nagkakaisang Mamamayan ng Legarda, said that for the past weeks her group had been meeting with different government agencies, including the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission to push this proposal.

?But it seems that it fell on deaf ears,? she said. ?My prayer to our Virgin Mary is that we will be saved from the looming demolition and that we could live here along the esteros until our old age.?