Two days after an urban poor group from San Juan City threw tomatoes at former President Joseph Estrada’s house in Manila, some 100 residents of Baseco and Parola Compound trooped to Manila City Hall to demand titles to their lands and denounce Mayor Alfredo Lim’s alleged inaction on the issue.
“We are asking Mayor Alfredo Lim to grant us the property we are living in,” said 55-year-old Nilda from Parola who has nine children.
“Lim has no sympathy for the poor, no initiative to distribute the lands to the legitimate residents,” said Ronald Lumbao, national chair of the People’s Movement Against Poverty, a group affiliated with Estrada.
On Wednesday, Kadamay and Sandigang Maralitang Nagkakaisa of San Juan deplored Estrada’s bid for Manila mayor against the incumbent Lim, and said the former president, who started his political career as San Juan mayor, was not really pro-poor.
The PMAP and the residents of Baseco and Parola called on the Manila City Council to assign Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, Estrada’s running mate against Councilor Lou Veloso, as representative in the interagency committee that will sign the implementing rules and distribute the land.
The head of the city Urban Settlements Office, however, said the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) assigns representatives in the interagency committee.
Vicky Clavel said the HUDCC and the National Housing Authority should sign the IRR of the presidential proclamations distributing the Baseco and Parola land.
“The titles to the land are not yet with the city government. Our role is as a partner in project development which is what we are doing by building schools, churches and roads,” she said.
Lim showed the Inquirer his proposed “miniature Baywalk” for Baseco.
“Isn’t this nice? We want to widen the street fronting the Pasig River to make it a miniature Baywalk and uplift their living condition,” he said.
“We’ve done everything for Baseco. Our role is to provide services which we carry out. We built a high school, an elementary school, health center and a market to serve the needs of the people,” Lim said. “But the distribution of land is with the NHA.”