Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER FILE / LYN RILLON
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes on Friday decried Senator Antonio Trillanes’ pronouncement calling urban poor group Kadamay a front organization of communists as “appalling,” and “very fascist.”
“I find his statement appalling, napaka-fascist ng mga pahayag ni Sen. Trillanes, parang ang ipinapalabas niya, walang legitimacy ‘yung mga ipinaglalaban ng mga mahihirap,” Reyes said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer.
“You don’t have to be a communist para ipaglaban ang karapatan sa pabahay, para ipaglaban ang trabaho, kabuhayan. Ito ay mga legitimate demand. He cannot downplay or discredit these demands by simply saying na ‘ay commmunista yan, kaya isangtabi na natin ang issue ng pabahay, kalimutan na natin yung problema na maraming nakatiwangwang na bahay’ that does not make sense,” he added.
An organized group of land grabbers that was granted free government housing intended for the police and the military is a front organization of communists, Sen. Antonio Trillanes said on Thursday.
Trillanes was referring to the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap or Kadamay, whose members were given government housing projects in Pandi town and San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan province by President Rodrigo Duterte last Tuesday.
READ: Kadamay a communist front—Trillanes
“Ang kailangan ng gobyerno natin ay harapin ang problema, this is a legitimate problem, kahit papaano, naghanap ng peaceful solution ang Pangulo doon sa problema, magpapatayo siya ng bagong bahay sa mga sundalo kasi ayaw nila tumira doon sa unang ipinagawa,” Reyes said.
“Dapat nga matuwa sila Sen. Trillanes dahil na-avert yung violent confrontation, naghanap ng peaceful and just solution. Bakit sila ngayon sila sisiraan, mga miyembro ng Kadamay,” he added.
Reyes lauded President’s action and said that what the latter did was satisfactory.
Duterte on Tuesday said he would give members of the urban poor group Kadamay the government houses in Bulacan, and asked military and police personnel, supposed to be the original beneficiaries, to let go of the units.
In turn, Duterte promised to build better houses for members of the police and the military by December, as he sought understanding for the poor.
READ: Duterte allows settlers to occupy gov’t houses
“We should welcome that, na naghanap ng makatarungang solusyon na hindi kailangang magbanggaan, in a way kinikilala niya ‘yung issue na ang daming walang bahay, tapos ang daming nakatiwangwang na bahay,” Reyes said.
“Nagpapasalamat din kami sa Kadamay na they were able to bring the issue to the public’s attention. Ngayon pinaguusapan yung problema sa pabahay. Kung ‘di siguro nila ginawa iyon, ‘di siguro natin mababatid,” he added.
Reyes also urged housing committees in the Senate and Congress to investigate the National Housing Authority of the previous administration.
“Kasi kung sila (previous admin) ang nag-implement ng budget para riyan, bakit hindi natirahan, bakit tila substandard yung kalidad ng mga itinayo? Kasi parang nagsayang ng pondo ang gobyerno kasi di naman napakinabangan ng mahihirap,” the Bayan secretary-general said.
“Dapat atupagin ng housing committee kapwa ng Senado at Kongreso kasi naglaan ng pondo. Billions of funding para sa mga proyektong parang hindi talaga napakinabangan last three or four years, paano nangyari iyon, at sino ang dapat managot para doon?” he added. CBB/rga