SLEEPING on a soggy jute sack with only a makeshift tent to shield them from the rain had been one of the happiest nights for the Polinar couple.

That was five years ago when they first set foot on Sitio (sub-village San Rafael in Barangay (village) 10-A, near the banks of the Davao River. The place was grassland, with 10-foot grass shrubs growing on parched earth. No one suspected that it had been lying there in the heart of Davao City, abandoned and idle for decades until the people came.

In October 2004, a group of workers saw the land?s potential as a permanent habitat that can become a model community built by the hands of poor, homeless people. The Davao United Workers and Homeowners Association formed teams to clean up the lot covering five hectares and stretching from the Ma-a highway all the way to the river banks.

?For 15 years, we had to live like rats going from one place to another, our five children never having a decent place to live in,? says Estrellita Polinar.

She recalled how she and her husband hacked through the thick shrubs to clear a good spot to pitch a small tent. ?We slept there even if our backs ached from sleeping on the cold earth. We were excited to finally have our own permanent place,? she says.
The Polinars and at least 250 other families swept through the entire property and created a disciplined, united neighborhood with a vision for development.

Self-styled people power

?We all agreed that every family should occupy only 60 square meters, no more, no less, so that everyone will be accommodated, no one should be greedy,? says Grace Torejas, current president of the association now called the United Workers and Homeowners Association of Davao (Uhwad).

?But that 60 square meters had been enough for us to build our future,? chuckles Estrellita, whose husband heard of the move to occupy the abandoned area from fellow workers in a sweatshop.

It was a self-styled ?people power,? say the Polinar couple, smiling as they remembered how they and other ?pobre? (poor) souls arrived with plows and rusty hacks, some using their bare hands to clean the place. Until the wee hours, they built makeshift structures in each designated parcel.

?We went there not to destroy anything but to build something. We were united and we knew we were not doing anything wrong,? says Estrellita.

The unity extended beyond cultural or religious differences, forged by people of equal social grade. More than a quarter of them are Muslims; some are ?lumad? or indigenous peoples. In fact, among the most active leaders of the association are Muslims and lumad who, for the first time, felt empowered.

The people also knew they had to pursue legal means to own the land.

Land Bank property

?We found out that the abandoned lot was actually owned by the Land Bank of the Philippines in Cotabato. It was a disputed area. When we talked to the Land Bank management, we let them see that the people had already set up the community. That?s why we asked our members to show their determination in keeping and taking care of the land,? Torejas says.

The Land Bank eventually agreed to negotiate with the workers on the possibility of awarding the land to them. At the same time, the people began to develop the area and commissioned surveyors for zoning and blocking of the lots.

Some already applied for water connection and electricity. The Davao Light and Power Corp., seeing the occupants? perseverance, agreed to put up more posts so that others could have stable power connection.

?We also drafted a vision for the community, where there is peace, where everyone is secure and where every child will grow up safe, healthy and well-provided. We wanted to it to be a model community,? Torejas says.

Caretakers of river

On their initiative, the workers took up the cudgels to protect and take care of the Davao River. Aware of its importance to their livelihood and the environment, they coordinated with local village leaders to create watch teams to spot polluters.

?We also made sure that our members are aware of proper waste disposal and that all homes will have their own toilets. We learned to love the river,? says Ramonito Tabliso, vice president of Uhwad.

The river stretches through several city barangay, including 10-A whose residents rely on fishing for their livelihood.

?We also make sure that all of our members teach their children the importance of taking care of the river because this will be their permanent home,? Tabliso says.

Tabliso, who also acts as a peace and order enforcer, proudly says the community is one of the most peaceful places in Davao City.