This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com).
Vol. VI, No. 20, June 29, 2006
UP Village Residents Rally over Demolition
BY JHONG DELA CRUZ Some 1,000
residents of six villages located in the University of the Philippines
(UP) held a rally Thursday morning to denounce the administration’s move
to rid of informal settlers. Residents of Old Capitol
Site, San Vicente, Pook Malinis, Daang Tubo, Villages A, B and C, all part of
the university lot, are protesting impending demolitions that they say would
adversely dislocate some 20,000 residents. At least 35 families were
displaced last May when the U.P. administration proceeded in demolishing houses
in Bgy. San Vicente. The protesters placed the number at 66, of which, 57 were
being relocated in the Old Capital Site. On July 9 this year, homes
of at least 26 in families in Old Capital Site (OCS) are set to be demolished,
residents said. By 2008, over 7,000 residents in this village shall have been
relocated. A member of Bgy. OCS
Neighborhood Association who requested anonymity said they were resisting the
entry of those displaced earlier in San Vicente, tagging this as a tactic by the
U.P. administration which is looking at quashing all informal settlers at the
same time. Ma. Isabel Artajo,
councilor of the U.P. Student Council said the university is proving to be more
of a “land grabber than protector of the oppressed.” “There are many vacant lots
found in the university, why should not the administration make use of these
while pursuing on-site developments for the sake of the informal settlers?” she
said. The Alyansa ng mga
Mamamayan Laban sa Demolisyon sa U.P. believes that there are alternatives in
implementing development projects inside the university. The group is seeking a
Temporary Restraining Order from the court against the impending demolitions and
adequate lands for the urban poor settlers in the university. In 2004, UP has entered
into an agreement with the Quezon City local government, which pushed for onsite
development and obligated the U.P administration to provide relocation. For its
part, the U.P administration has invoked the exemption from the Lina law, saying
it has the right to convert its lands for development projects such as science
and technology parks. The university
administration said it is eyeing a site in Montalban town in Rizal province for
the relocation, in a tie-up with the National Housing Administration.Bulatlat © 2006 Bulatlat
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Posted 2:24 p.m.,
June 29, 2006