Group Kadamay shifts campaign to take over idle units to housing project in Bocaue town
The initial occupation of the idle government-built houses targeted these units at Padre Pio resettlement project in Pandi town, Bulacan province. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CITY OF MALOLOS—The occupation of social housing projects in Pandi town in Bulacan province has spread as 200 members of the leftist urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) targeted idle houses meant for policemen and soldiers at Barangay Batia in Bocaue town.
Those who tried to occupy the National Housing Authority (NHA) housing project in Bocaue on Friday came from the towns of Balagtas and Guiguinto in Bulacan.
On March 8, hundreds of families took over idle houses at five NHA housing projects allegedly out of frustration at the slow pace of government housing distribution.
This week, another group of families occupied houses in a sixth housing project that had not been turned over to the NHA.
Latest incursion
The latest incursion involved families traveling on 10 jeepneys who appeared to be headed for Pandi until they suddenly turned toward Bocaue, police said.
Chief Insp. Manuel de Vera Jr., town police chief, said policemen, who were the supposed beneficiaries of the housing project in Bocaue, were alarmed and planned to visit Barangay Batia to check if their units had been taken over by the families.
A housing project in Pandi that the families earlier occupied was also intended for policemen and soldiers.
Police on alert
De Vera said the police were also on alert because of a solidarity march today (March 18) from Metro Manila to Bulacan by militant groups drumming up support for the takeover of at least 4,000 houses in Pandi.
More than 500 marchers are expected to join Kadamay members in Pandi, said Gloria Arellano, Kadamay national chair, adding that the caravan will move at 6 a.m. from the NHA office in Quezon City to the occupied houses at Padre Pio in Barangay Cacarong Bata, Villa Louise in Barangay Siling Matanda, Pandi Heights 2 and 3 in Barangay Mapulang Lupa and Villa Elise in Barangay Masuso, all in Pandi.
Getting on the list
The families had barricaded these sites, which prevented NHA teams from processing their claims and from completing an inventory of the occupied houses.
Many families said they wanted to be included on the list of housing applicants.
But Kadamay had asked President Duterte to instead give these houses to urban poor families for free.
In a statement, Kadamay said at least 3,200 individuals occupied houses in Bocaue, bringing the total number of occupied houses to 8,500.
‘Reclaim housing rights’
“This only shows that more urban poor Filipinos are rising up to reclaim their housing rights,” Arellano said.
“There is something clearly wrong if there are thousands of vacant and idle homes while the number of homeless continues to increase,” she said.
Bocaue Hills was established in 2012 and currently has only 800 residents. There are at least 200 households with relatives of policemen and 600 households being rented out.
Kadamay cited an NHA report in September that said at least 53,000 housing units for policemen and soldiers had been left vacant.
“Many PNP housing projects are too far from the offices and jobs of the personnel which is one of the main reasons they are left vacant,” Arellano said.
“There is no reason why the housing units should be left to vegetation, dirt and pests,” she said. —CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE
