MANILA, Philippines--The urban poor have found an ally in the Catholic Church, with no less than Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales condemning what he called the ?structure of sin? behind the proliferation of informal settler communities in the metropolis.

In a pastoral letter issued on Nov. 11 but which will be read at all Masses Sunday in the Archdiocese of Manila, Rosales defended urban poor families living along creeks and other waterways from blame for the flash floods wrought by Tropical Storm ?Ondoy? on Sept. 26 that killed at least 400 people, forced thousands to evacuation centers for weeks and destroyed billions of pesos worth of property.

?Let us not blame the poor on the waterways for the flooding of our cities,? Rosales said.

?Let us look beyond: The unabated logging on Sierra Madre and Mt. Banahaw, mining ventures on our mountains, the haphazard collection and unplanned disposal of our garbage, irresponsible city planning and subdivision development, just to name a few,? he said.

The cardinal instead pointed out that urban poor families risked living in danger zones because they had to make a living.

He cited the case of Myrna and her teenage son who lived in a squatter community in North Fairview, Quezon City. He said the two were shot dead on Oct. 9 by a security guard when they protested a fence being put up to keep them and other residents ?out of danger.?

?Why do thousands of people like Aling Myrna cling to their home sites even in danger areas and resist relocation to safer sites outside the city? The answer is simple: Their sources of livelihood are in the city, there are none in far-away relocation areas,? Rosales said.

The cardinal pointed out that people who live in squatter communities render important work in the city, as market vendors, small tradespeople, bus and taxi drivers, washerwomen, house help, janitors, construction workers and even policemen, firemen and public school teachers.

?Without them, the city would come to a halt. Yet there is no legal place for them in the city,? he said.

?The term ?structure of sin? tells us that the evil is pervasive, built into the structures of our society, something of which we are all a part,? Rosales said.

The cardinal said it was not enough to ?simply order people off the waterways,? as he called for ?deep restructuring of our society,? starting with restructuring the government?s urban land policy, in the post-Ondoy rehabilitation work.