Protest camp put up vs demolition in Calamba
By Niña Catherine Calleja
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 17:38:00 09/16/2008
CALAMBA CITY, Philippines—Around 150 families residing in an urban poor community in Calamba City put up a protest camp on Tuesday after a Regional Trial Court issued a notice of demolition.
Judge Alberto Serrano of RTC in Calamba ordered last September 11, 2008 the demolition of houses built in a three-hectare land of Sitio Kabute in the village of Real, Calamba City, which is now subject of a dispute as it was reportedly bought by Metrobank.
Melicia Almario, spokesperson of Samahan ng Maralita sa Sitio Kabute (SMSK) said through phone that they have been occupants in that land for over three decades.
"Who is Metrobank to take our lands? We have been staying here for a long time," she said in Filipino.
She said that some time in January 2008, armed policemen and security guards of Metrobank surprised residents and ordered a demolition even without presenting proper documents.
Out of fear and lack of knowledge in laws and due process, the residents demolished their own homes. But weeks later, with help from Bayan Muna-Southern Tagalog, the families reoccupied the lands.
The residents of Sitio Kabute staged a noise barrage in Crossing Calamba at around 12 noon to kick off their protest camp dubbed as "Kampong bayan laban sa demolisyon, dislokasyon at kahirapan (People’s camp vs demolition, dislocation, and poverty)."
Almario hit the city mayor for its incompetence in dealing with urban poor issues in Calamba.
"He allowed us to lose our homes without a sure relocation and livelihood," she added.
Meanwhile, Bayan-Muna staff Antonet Priscilla said that aside from Sitio Kabute, about 800 households from three other communities in Calamba are threatened with demolition.
On Monday, community leaders of Sitio Tibag and Sitio Kamkaman in Barangay 3, and Sitio Kabute held a dialogue with city officials on the issue of demolition.
According to Priscilla, the local government is offering the Community Mortgage Program (CMP), which to them is nothing but a "money-making business" of the Arroyo government.
"In CMP, the residents will just be burdened by debts because of the costly house rent. They will again be evicted ," Priscilla said.
Priscilla added that the government should instead focus on developing these communities and provide them with social services.
At 4 p.m., the residents will join other groups in a protest rally to be held in Crossing, Calamba. The rally is part of a week-long protest that will end on September 22 in Southern Tagalog to commemorate martial law.
Ernesto Aquino, executive assistant of Mayor Joaquin Chipeco, said they could no longer revoke the court order.
“But instead, what we can give is support to the residents who will be dislocated,” he said.
But, most of the residents in Sitio Kabute refused to accept the offer of relocation, he said.
In the CMP, Aquino said the residents were given opportunity to buy a house lot at a lower price.
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