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Cavite Demolition Kills Scores of Shanty Dwellers

Another violent demolition, this time in Dasmariñas, Cavite, killed scores of shanty dwellers and displaced hundreds of urban-poor families. The demolition was carried out by guards from a security firm allegedly owned by the governor and was meant to clear the way for foreign investments in the Calabarzon area.

BY ROWENA CARRANZA
Bulatlat.com

It was already 10:30 in the evening last August 20 when sisters Nelia, 35, and Marilyn Mil, 32, first heard the gunfire and explosions. At first, they stayed put inside their kubol (shanty), waiting for the noise to die down. But after a while, when they realized that the gunfire and explosions were not going to stop, they crawled out, aiming to get out of the four-hectare maze of shanties and seek the safety of the main road.

Halfway to the main road, Marilyn decided to go back and get some of their personal belongings. She was careful at first to keep her body down. But anxious to get back, she stood up to walk faster.

Nelia felt cold all over when she heard people shouting that a woman had been hit. Her worst fear was confirmed when she saw her sister sprawled on the ground. Neighbors helped her carry Marilyn to a nearby hospital but her sister was pronounced dead on arrival.

Nelia and Marilyn were urban poor residents of Area F, barangays Sta. Fe and Luzviminda 1, Dasmariñas Bagong Bayan, Cavite. The night Marilyn died, an undetermined number of security guards under the Retired Army Detective Protective Investigation Agency (RADPIA), together with armed goons, raided the area to drive away the residents. Cavite Governor Ayong Maliksi owns RADPIA, according to the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance or Bayan) in Cavite.

Fidel Castro of Bayan-Cavite said they could not be sure how many persons were killed because the bodies were placed inside jute sacks and taken away by the assailants. Castro, however, said that they have already confirmed three fatalities, including Marilyn, while four other residents sustained gunshot wounds. More than 500 families, including children, were terrorized and driven away.

The armed assault lasted up to midnight although sporadic gunshots were heard until 7 in the morning the next day. The following day, the area was already empty of residents, their shanties burned to ashes. Slugs of .38 caliber pistols and other guns, as well as a bucketful of molotov bombs, were found on the site by human-rights groups that had rushed to the area.

According to witnesses, there were uniformed policemen present when the assault occurred. Nelia herself saw policemen aboard an owner-type jeep with a "Dasmariñas Police" sign painted on its side. One of them even kidded her for running.

Local government officials of Damariñas have denied ordering the violent demolition. They announced that the local police have even arrested eight persons allegedly involved in the shooting.

Before this incident, Castro said there were other violent demolitions in Cavite. On August 6, at least 50 families in the town of Indang lost their homes when 30 Special Weapons and Tactics members in full battle gear and a 40-man demolition team destroyed their shanties. On July 26, some 300 families were evicted from Pabahay 2000 in the town of General Trias.

Castro and other officials of Bayan believe that the increasing number of violent demolitions is related with the government’s intention todevelop the so-called Calabarzon area. Calabarzon stands for Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, the provinces nearest to Metro Manila in the south and the target sites for foreign investment. Bulatlat.com

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