According to initial reports by Save Patungan Now Movement, armed elements of the demolition team opened fire at least 12 times at the residents who set up barricades at entry points. Three residents, Neslie Lantar, Erick Dominado, and Ace Amul suffered gunshot wounds.
Over the years, developers have targeted the highway between Santa Rosa and Tagaytay as a prime development spot. Ayala Land, Inc. and the Lucio Tan-owned Greenfield Development Corporation first began development in Santa Rosa in the early 2000s, much to the dismay of farmers and residents who lived in the area.
At a time when Filipino families are being told to stay at home, urban poor families in Intramuros said they have not received any relocation program at all. Residents also lamented that the Manila police has been assisting the private company in carrying out the demolition.
The affected residents are now staying in the streets amid the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.
“We hope our politicians learn their lessons and look closely at the plight of the poor. We are Filipinos.”
“I learned from the process that ‘wants’ of these urban poor families are what may be considered as ‘basic’ for those who are considered in the middle class.”
By DEE AYROSO
“Pushing through with the demolition will only add to the number of homeless.”
At Camp Karingal, the police did not even bother feeding the 57 Apollo residents it ‘arrested.’
Urban poor groups are calling for a stop to the demolition of informal settler communities, and to hold former President Benigno Aquino III accountable for the destruction and violence.
For two days recently, violent clashes broke out between the police and informal settlers resisting the demolition of their homes (about 100 families) in a privately claimed lot in Culiat, Quezon City. These were but the latest of similar scenes in the metropolis and elsewhere in the country. Demolition – or the threat of it…