Dear Friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Defend Job Philippines that notices of eviction, has been repeatedly served on the community living in Phase 5, Orosa Compound, Tanyag, Taguig City, Phillipines. We are also concerned over the threat of using the City Ordinance No. 33, a law devised solely for creating local committee against squatting syndicates and professional squatters, and against the urban poor community living in these areas for almost the past four decades.
CASE NARRATIVE:
According to information received by the AHRC the local government of Taguig, the Office of the City Administrator of Taguig has first served notice of Self Eviction and Demolition to the residents of Phase 5, Orosa Compound, Tanyag, Taguig City on 22nd October 2014, alleging that they are illegally occupying the land owned by of their dwelling units. Following which, a second Notice of Self Eviction and Demolition has been issued to these residents in January 2015. Residents have also later been ordered to attend meetings with the Office of the Local Government of Taguig, through the Urban Poor Affairs Office which is headed by Mr. Agapito Cruz and through the Taguig Local Housing Office headed by Generoso Ignacio on 27th January and 4th February respectively this year, ordering them to vacate the land because the government will require the land for the Medium Rise Building (MRB) development project.
The residents have petitioned the Office of the Mayor, Local Housing Office (LHO) and the Urban Poor Affairs Office (UPAO) on 24th March 2015 and to no avail. The BOTH the LHO and the UPAO have outright dismissed their petition giving no heed to their grievances against the eviction notices. During the meetings residents have reiterated their claims to security of their livelihoods to which they were met with counter claims from the government representatives that housing is an obligation of the government and to claims that these are “orders from above”. Finally the meeting had been called off, off the meeting where residents were told that are living on public land and that there is no credible reason to stop the construction of the Medium Rise Building and Condominium project even though it will be done at the cost of evicting an entire community.
These residents, an urban poor community, comprised of more than 600 families, have been living in these areas, continuously since the 1970s. Although the population of this community peaked in the 1990s, most of them are engaged in the informal sector and work as vendors, construction workers, domestic workers, waste pickers, street sweepers, drivers, etc., and thus fall short of the social security net provided to those employed in the formal sector. This community have developed their livelihoods collectively over the years, with hard labour and struggles by its members with hardly any government support during the many decades. They have built these livelihoods and continue to do so, to build their schools, churches, playgrounds, roads and other such basic facilities required by any community.
The Local Government of Taguig, instead of assisting this community, have ordered their eviction and demolition of their homes and live hoods and all that they have built. The eviction notices threaten their very livelihood security which if effected would uproot them and completely destroy their economic, social and cultural roots. This will certainly push the community into a state of hunger, starvation and worse poverty.
The fear that such a mass eviction would undoubtedly push the community into a state of abject poverty are further compounded by the government’s outright rejection to offer any support, compensation nor cover with any welfare programme. All that the government has offered to the community are mere travel tickets back to their provinces under the “Balik Prubinsya” program. This is offered in complete disregard to the fact that the lack of any livelihood opportunities in their provinces was the primary reasons that pushed these communities to migrate into the urban squalors and a forced eviction would again exposed them to the same if not worse condition.
We have learnt that the community is being further threatened with the use of the City Ordinance No. 33 – a law devised for creating local committees against squatting syndicates and professional squatters. The Ordinance is draconian piece of legislation in the sense that it promises to target squatting syndicates, or the land mafia, but in their stead targets the urban poor communities and thus making them even more dependent on the very same squatting syndicates.
For a long time, the urban poor have been the victims of criminal neglect by the government. They suffer joblessness, poverty, homelessness, lack of health care and have almost no access to the public justice system for seeking redress and reparation. This ‘attack’ on the community has arisen in the recent times by labelling them as professional squatters merely to legitimize evictions and demolitions and give way to the implementation of mega development projects at the cost of the livelihoods of this entire community.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities, mentioned below, demanding and calling for immediate intervention to ensure sufficient relief material and assistance to this community.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear __________,
PHILIPPINES: Immediately halt the eviction of an entire community in the Orosa Compound, Taguig
Name of the Victims: 600 Families living in the Phase 5, Orosa Compound, Tanyag,
Date and Time of Incident: October 22 2014 and on-going
Place of Incident: Taguig City, The Philippines
I am writing to you with grave concern regarding the eviction notices served on the residents of Phase 5, Orosa Compound, Tanyag, Taguig City. The Office of the City Administrator of Taguig has first served a notice of Self Eviction/Demolition of their dwellings to the community on 22nd October 2014. The reason given behind the aforesaid demolition orders is that the community is living on public land owned by the local government of Taguig, A second Notice of Self Eviction/Demolition has then been issued to the residents in January 2015. Residents have also later been ordered to attend meetings with the Office of the Local Government of Taguig, through the Urban Poor Affairs Office which is headed by Mr. Agapito Cruz and through the Taguig Local Housing Office headed by Generoso Ignacio on 27th January and 4th February respectively this year, ordering them to vacate the land because the government will require the land for the Medium Rise Building (MRB) development project.
The residents have petitioned the Office of the Mayor, Local Housing Office (LHO) and the Urban Poor Affairs Office (UPAO) on 24th March 2015 and to no avail. The BOTH the LHO and the UPAO have outright dismissed their petition giving no heed to their grievances against the eviction notices. During the meetings residents have reiterated their claims to security of their livelihoods to which they were met with counter claims from the government representatives that housing is an obligation of the government and to claims that these are "orders from above". Finally the meeting had been called off, off the meeting where residents were told that are living on public land and that there is no credible reason to stop the construction of the Medium Rise Building and Condominium project even though it will be done at the cost of evicting an entire community.
These residents, an urban poor community, comprised of more than 600 families, have been living in these areas, continuously since the 1970s. Although the population of this community peaked in the 1990s, most of them are engaged in the informal sector and work as vendors, construction workers, domestic workers, waste pickers, street sweepers, drivers, etc., and thus fall short of the social security net provided to those employed in the formal sector. This community have developed their livelihoods collectively over the years, with hard labour and struggles by its members with hardly any government support during the many decades. They have built these livelihoods and continue to do so, to build their schools, churches, playgrounds, roads and other such basic facilities required by any community.
The Local Government of Taguig, instead of assisting this community, have ordered their eviction and demolition of their homes and live hoods and all that they have built. The eviction notices threaten their very livelihood security which if effected would uproot them and completely destroy their economic, social and cultural roots. This will certainly push the community into a state of hunger, starvation and worse poverty.
The fear that such a mass eviction would undoubtedly push the community into a state of abject poverty are further compounded by the government's outright rejection to offer any support, compensation nor cover with any welfare programme. All that the government has offered to the community are mere travel tickets back to their provinces under the "Balik Prubinsya" program. This is offered in complete disregard to the fact that the lack of any livelihood opportunities in their provinces was the primary reasons that pushed these communities to migrate into the urban squalors and a forced eviction would again exposed them to the same if not worse condition.
We have learnt that the community is being further threatened with the use of the City Ordinance No. 33 – a law devised for creating local committees against squatting syndicates and professional squatters. The Ordinance is draconian piece of legislation in the sense that it promises to target squatting syndicates, or the land mafia, but in their stead targets the urban poor communities and thus making them even more dependent on the very same squatting syndicates.
For a long time, the urban poor have been the victims of criminal neglect by the government. They suffer joblessness, poverty, homelessness, lack of health care and have almost no access to the public justice system for seeking redress and reparation. This 'attack' on the community has arisen in the recent times by labelling them as professional squatters merely to legitimize evictions and demolitions and give way to the implementation of mega development projects at the cost of the livelihoods of this entire community.
I would also like to draw the attention of the City Government of Taguig, as an agent of the Philippine government, to not merely the rights of all Philippine citizens under the law of the land but also to specific obligations as a state party under international human rights instruments. Such demolition drives are conducted, mainly in violation of Article 11(1) of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) promising adequate standard of living for a person and their family, including adequate food, clothing, and housing. Such evictions also violate 17(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights offering protection from arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, or home, among other things.
General Comment No. 4 of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights further stresses that there should be "legal security of tenure including legal protection against forced evictions" while determining "adequacy" of housing. International legal opinion also holds the right to adequate housing as a justiciable and enforceable right as acknowledged by the Special Rapporteur in a report to the 58th session of the Commission (E/CN.4/2002/59). The authorities in Philippines have continued with their demolitions affecting thousands of families in utter disregard of their international obligations as a state party.
I, therefore, urge you to ensure that:
1. The eviction and self-demolition notices served on the community are revoked with immediate effect;
2. The government initiates a meaningful dialogue with the community taking its concerns seriously and ensure that arbitrary and disproportionately grave laws like the City Ordinance No. 31 would not be used against such communities;
3. Necessary steps are taken to prevent the forced displacement of people from their homes in the future. Even in the absolutely unavoidable cases, the Government of the Philippines must ensure a proper consultation with and support of the affected community as well as their prior consent to relocation sites.
Sincerely,
_______
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Benigno Aquino III
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel
Manila 1005
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 736 1010
Tel: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80
2. Ms. Loretta Ann Rosales
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 929 0102
E-mail: chair.rosales.chr@gmail.com
3. Corazon Juliano-Soliman
Secretary, Department of Social, Welfare and Development
Constitution Hills, Batasan Pambansa Complex,
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel/Fax: +63 (2) 931-81-91
4. Atty. Chito M. Cruz
General Manager
National Housing Authority
Quezon Memorial,
Elliptical Road, Diliman 1100
Quezon City,
PHILIPPINES
5. Maria Laarni L Cayetano
Mayor
Taguig City Hall
57 General Luna Street, Brgy. Tuktukan
1637 Taguig
PHILIPPINES
Fax: (632) 642-3588
Email: pio@taguig.gov.ph
Hunger Alerts Programme
Right to Food Programme (foodjustice@ahrc.asia)
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
