Kadamay denies offering to pay for occupied houses

The Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay), a militant urban poor group, denied on Tuesday that they had come to an agreement with the National Housing Authority (NHA) to pay for the houses the members had occupied.

On Monday, the NHA lifted the eviction orders against families who forcibly occupied 5,000 houses in low-cost housing sites in Pandi town and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan after Kadamay reportedly agreed to apply for the houses they took over. But the group denied this.

READ: Kadamay offers to pay for occupied houses

Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said during a three-hour dialogue on Monday at the NHA office in Quezon City that Kadamay members would be willing to pay in installments the P240,000 cost for each house, using government loans, provided that the NHA would agree to amend its payment terms and to relax some requirements.

“Sa totoo lang, yung bayarin sa pabahay, hindi pa dumadating sa punto na yun yung pinag-uusapan namin,” Kadamay Chairperson Gloria “Ka Bea” Arellano said in an interview with INQ & A.

(“In truth, we have not yet reached that point when we are already discussing about payment for the housing.”

“Ang unang napag-usapan pa lang namin ay paano ito iba-validate pa. Hanggang doon pa lang. Hindi pa namin napag-usapan yung bayarin, dahil kung ito ‘yung papasukin nila, ‘yung bayarin, talagang naninindigan kami na libreng pabahay pa rin ang aming igigiit sa kanila. Libre dapat talaga. Anong ibabayad ng aming mga miyembro? Ito na yung mahirap pa sa mahirap na naming miyembro. Walang masilungan.”

(“The first thing we talked about was about how it would be validated. That’s all. We haven’t talked about payment, because if they would insist on payment, our stand really is to insist on free housing. It should really be free. Where will members get the money to pay for it? These are the poorest of the poor among our members. They have nowhere to go.”)

Arellano said that if a family would not able to settle payment dues the NHA would then issue a padlocking notice.

Earliler, she said unrealistic and unjust amortization payments were what continuously pushed people out of relocation sites. Their wages were just not enough for the payments.

She said that the massive number of idle housing units was a testament to the failures of government in the housing sector.

The Kadamay campaign, which they called Occupy Bulacan, was launched because the urban poors’ call for government housing had fallen on deaf ears.

On March 8, Kadamay members occupied vacant housing units in several resettlement zones in Bulacan.

READ: ‘Gov’t failure prompted occupation of Bulacan housing projects’

Arellano said that the government only took notice of the issue when they had already occupied the units in the resettlement zones.

“Walang aalis sa mga in-occupy hangga’t nagba-validate sila,” she said. “Dapat hindi na dapat sila tanggalin doon. Kasi ang sinasabi ng gobyerno, may nakalaan na riyan. Sabi ng presidente, papagawaan daw (itong mga nag-occupy) sa 2018.”

(“Nobody will leave the occupied units while they’re still validating. They shouldn’t be removed there. The government is saying that the units are already reserved. The presidents says new housing will be built in 2018 for those occupying the idle housing units.”)

She added that the people the units were reserved for would not want to move in.

“Ayaw nga nila lumipat doon. Walang hanapbuhay. Kaya yung mga nandoon na, dapat yun na ang unahin na nila. Huwag nila pinipili ang mga mahihirap. Nandiyaan na yung nangangailangan, Dapat yun na ang tugunan na agad.”

(“They don’t want to move there. They have no jobs. So, those who are already there should be prioritized by the government. It shouldn’t be hand-picking the poor. Those who are in need are already there. So they should be the first to be accommodated.”)

As of this writing, Kadamay members have occupied 5,918 units in idle housing projects and plans to expand the movement. /atm

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