Kadamay members hurt by ‘thieves’ label

PANDI, Bulacan—Teresita Abeles and Marilou Francisco said they were hurt after they were tagged as “thieves” just because they were members of Kadamay, the urban poor group that forcibly occupied government houses here last March.

They became objects of hate and heckling by outsiders since March 8 when Kadamay occupied  the “Caloocan bloc” here in Pandi Heights, one of six relocation sites seized by the group. They said they had been called “thieves” for forcibly taking over the houses built by the National Housing Authority (NHA) for the police and military.

Abeles recalled that when she applied for a postal ID recently, the woman handling her application sneered that another Kadamay member was at her counter.

“They do not even know it was hard to get here,” said Abeles, who spoke to reporters on Tuesday as a joint Senate and House committee visited the housing project to see for themselves why police and military beneficiaries of the low-cost housing were not too keen on living there.

Project failure

Of the 60,000 houses built by the NHA for the police and military, only about 8,000 had been occupied by security forces, prompting NHA general manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. to admit that the government housing project for this sector was a “failure” as shown by the low occupancy rate.

Sen. JV Ejercito acknowledged that the houses were “ill-planned,” noting that the NHA failed to consult the police and military on the design and planning.

Rep. Albee Benitez told reporters that the houses were “too small” and their design made for informal settlers and those with jobs.

“The NHA should have a program for mixed units. Not one unit for all,” Benitez said.

Most of the houses in Pandi Heights also have no power and water. Residents use gas lamps at night to light up their homes and buy water for P25 per container.

“I hope Kadamay would understand the need for the government to collect money from these houses so they could continue with future projects for our people,” Ejercito said.

According to an NHA engineer,  the NHA suffered a 50 percent drop in its collection of monthly amortization from legitimate owners in Pandi town.  Unit owners refused to pay their dues, noting that Kadamay members are getting them for free.