“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.”
The occupants decried the government’s prioritization of commercial and business ventures instead of housing projects for the poor despite ongoing negotiations between the agencies and the community.
“The play aims to humanize the struggle of the urban poor. They do not just fight for the sake of resisting the police come demolition day.”
“Why are you still fighting? There is nothing to fight for. You will all be demolished,” residents quoted a security guard who was threatening them.
“First they tried to get rid of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center. Now they want to get rid of plants and trees. What is next? Pushing for the transfer of government offices like the Philippine Science High School and the Office of the Ombudsman to make way for even more commercial expansion?” – Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate
“Aquino promised to provide us with decent shelter using billions of pesos from the Informal Settler Fund (ISF), but only provided us with far-flung relocation sites that lack basic social services and employment opportunities." – residents
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
In 2011, rights group Karapatan - National Capital Region has monitored at least one case of demolition a month, which more or less translates to at least three families losing their homes everyday due to demolition.
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Video: Demolisyon