BY DABET CASTAÑEDA
Bulatlat
Vol. VIII, No. 5, March 2-8, 2008

After the formidable interfaith rally February 29, it is now the women’s turn to make their voices heard. BABALA or Babae Laban sa Katiwalian (Women Against Corruption), the newly-formed women’s alliance against corruption, promises to hold a mammoth rally March 8 not only against corruption but also against demolitions, hunger, and rights violations. It is likewise calling for Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s resignation or ouster.

Demolitions
Migrating from her hometown in Leyte, Beatrice Cabuguang dreamed of having a life of rags-to-riches when she reached Manila in 1969. “Akala ko masarap ang buhay dito,” (I thought life here was good.) Cabuguang, now 53, said. She was only fourteen years old when she arrived in Manila and the only job she could land was that of a house helper.
Three months into her job, Cabuguang found solace when her elder sister found her and took her from her job. Just when Cabuguang thought she could pursue her dreams in Manila, she found herself scavenging for food and livelihood at Smokey Mountain in Tondo, then the symbol of the country’s poverty.

Cabuguang married at 16 but lost her husband two years later. She was left to fend for her only child. She re-married four years later and had four other children but lost all of them.

In Smokey Mountain, Cabuguang and her child lived off scavenging. In 2003, Cabuguang was awarded a unit in Paradise Heights, a medium-rise relocation center for the residents of Smokey Mountain and neighboring areas. It is located just beside the former dumpsite.

However, just like all relocation projects, a unit in Paradise Heights is not for free. A unit cost at least P150, 000 ($2,727 at the 2003 exchange rate of $1=P55.00) payable in five years. This does not include water and electricity bills, and delinquency interest of one percent per month.

Living from dole-outs from her daugther, Cabuguang has difficulty paying her monthly amortization. She said she now faces eviction adding that she is not alone in her predicament. Most of her neighbors face the same fate.

In Mega Manila, more than 200,000 are also about to lose their homes due to impending demolitions, the party-list group Gabriela said.

Rep. Liza Maza said projects like the P4.1 billion ($101,359,703 at an exchange rate of $1=P4.45) C5 North Extension (C5NE) and the $932M South Rail Rehabilitation and Extension are set to displace over 100,000 families.

The C5NE project set to begin implementation in the first quarter of 2008 will displace an estimated 40,000 families in 10 barangays in Quezon City, including those in the University of the Philippines- Diliman.

Meanwhile, another 100,000 families living along the railroad from Alabang, Muntinlupa to San Pedro, Laguna up to Tagkawayan, Quezon will also be displaced with the implementation of the $932M South Rail project.

The displacement of families is one of the main issues to be taken up by the women’s group Gabriela in their countdown campaign towards International Women’s Day on March 8.

At the interfaith rally for truth and accountability in Ayala Feb.29, Bibeth Orteza announced that the women sector will show its force in another mammoth rally on March 8. Orteza is the spokesperson of the women’s alliance BABALA or Babae Laban sa Katiwalian (Women Against Corruption).

Hunger

Gabriela will also delve into the government’s failed hunger mitigation program. In interviews with mothers from communities in Tondo, their verdict is: it is not enough. The mothers complained that the government’s Botika ng Bayan (People’s Pharmacy) only sells paracetamol, antibiotics and herbal medicines but do not offer medicines prescribed by doctors. Meanwhile, the Bigasang Bayans (People’s Rice Stores) in their communities are closed.

Missing, detained

Gabriela also continues its search for the two missing University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño who were abducted by state agents June 26, 2006 in the province of Bulacan. According to the testimony of witness Raymond Manalo, the two women UP students have been sexually abused by their captors during detention.

The women’s group also campaigns for the immediate release of Angie Ipong, 64, and Elizabeth Principe, 58, both political detainees. Both are consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and have been activists and community organizers since the 1970s. (Bulatlat.com)