By AARON ERNEST CRUZ and SHANNIA ANGEL CABUELLO
Bulatlat.com

Sidebar story: Trike TODA eviction sparks transportation woes for PUPians

MANILA — The livelihood of residents on Teresa Street in Sta. Mesa, Manila is being threatened by the 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project set to replace the vintage Philippine National Railway (PNR). 

Residents said project contractors only gave them a few days notice to move out as an additional barricade is being put up at the site. 

They fear that over 132 tricycle drivers of the Hipodromo Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (HITODA) would be affected by the eviction notice as no site is being given as their new terminal.

Ronnie Basilinan, former president of HITODA, also revealed the notice was given verbally, raising further fears of not being compensated for their eviction. 

The association rents the property they have been using as terminal for more than half a decade. 

HITODA entered into a lease contract for the site near the train tracks since 2019 to put a stop to the stiff P512 ($9.07) fine they are forced to pay every time Metro Manila Development Authority traffic officers say they’ve illegally parked. 

The tricycle drivers primarily serve Polytechnic University of the Philippines students aside from fellow residents.

No other livelihood

Basilinan has three children and two grandsons who rely on him for their basic needs. “I have no other job besides being a tricycle driver. I wish we can go back to our terminal so that the enforcers will not bother us,” he said.

Nalsom De Guzman, current board member of HITODA, said that they are talking to Barangay officials, hoping for a solution to their problem. 

An 18-year veteran of the trade, De Guzman keeps up the fight for their right to livelihood. “I hope they allow us to stay [nearby]. [We can made do with a space for] five tricycles. The others can queue at the back of the line,” he said.

Other livelihood also affected

Tricycle drivers are not the only ones affected by the construction project. Stores nearby were also advised to leave by the head contractor. Fifteen-year carinderia operator Maricel Mendoza said they were given less than a month to vacate. 

Contractors of NSCR told Mendoza that not leaving immediately will result in conflict, including police action. 

“We asked for at least a month because we really have other place to transfer to,” Mendoza said. Their pleas fell on deaf ears and were curtly told that where they could transfer is no longer the contractors’ problem. 

“They really do not grant us any consideration, except only a week,” Mendoza shared.

Until today, Mendoza struggles to find a place to continue their operation, considering that their employees also need to afford living. She tried finding units along Pureza as she hopes to continue serving PUP students and employees. 

North-South Commuter Railway project

The project replaces the old PNR system that had fallen to a bad state of disrepair due to decades of neglect. Construction began in 2019 under the Build Build Build program of former president Rodrigo Duterte and co-funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It costs P873.62 billion ($15.381 billion). 

The new railway system shall have 37 stations from New Clark City, Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna. NSCR is divided into several phases of construction, starting from its Malolos-Tutuban segment, and followed by the Malolos to Clark segment which will be partially operating in 2027. NSCR’s south portion traversers Manila to Laguna. This is where its Sta. Mesa Station belongs.

Set to be completed in 2029, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it is expected to serve around 1 million passengers daily with a reduced travel time of two hours from Tutuban to major points. 

The project however faces delays after the Department of Justice (DOJ) found possible violations of Republic Act 10752 that mandates that people affected by infrastructure projects shall be justly compensated.

Instead of working for just compensation for displaced residents however, DOTr secretary Vince Dizon demanded that DOJ change its legal opinion to allow the NSCR as well as the Manila Subway Project to continue.

But the NSCR project chugs along despite the legal impediment, causing problems to tricycle drivers and small business owners along its path, including Teresa Street residents. 

“We do not want to leave this place. This is where we started our business,” Mendoza said. But the tricycle terminal had already been fenced off and the small businesses that have sustained the community and the nearby university are being threatened with police-assisted eviction. 

Teresa’s residents say they are left with no choice but to demand proper relocation and just compensation. (RTS, AMU, RBV)