Faces of the News: Gloria Arellano

Illustration by Rene Elevera

One can imagine members of the urban poor group, collectively known as Kadamay, erupting in cheers when President Rodrigo Duterte announced that they could stay in idle government housing units they occupied in Bulacan province.

They had long waited for the National Housing Authority to approve their applications, but to no avail.

“So many houses that are built by the government remain unoccupied. We hope that they just distribute it to the homeless poor,” Kadamay national coordinator Gloria Arellano said.

But then again, she added that Mr. Duterte’s pronouncement should be put down in black and white.

The decision to give the houses to Kadamay members drew flak from some quarters, including Senators Richard Gordon and Panfilo Lacson who said that this might sow anarchy.