Another update...needless to say, this should inspire some more of you to
take the four minutes required to fax off a letter to President Fidel Ramos
(the fax number included in my last Email actually works too!).
Many thanks,
Kris Olds
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 29 Jul 96 20:28:24 -0800
From: UPA <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Subject: updates on evictions in Manila
<[log in to unmask]>,<[log in to unmask]>
MESSAGE FOR: Kris Olds, Wardah Hafidz, Park Mun Su, John Nicolades
Dear friends,
In a meeting last week with urban poor leaders, Mr.
Trinidad of the government's Housing and Urban Development
Coordinating Council said the government's permanent relocation
site outside Metro Manila will be ready only in two years
time. However, government will push through with its scheduled
demolitions and will provide three temporary relocation sites,
all outside Metro Manila.
This runs counter to the position of the Anti-Demolition
Working Group which is composed of big urban poor federations
and coalitions and their partner NGOs. The position of the group
is development should be on-site and where relocation cannot be
avoided, the relocation site should be in-city whether temporary
or permanent.
We will know by July 31 if they will go ahead with the
demolitions, even if the temporary relocation sites are not yet
ready for occupation.
In the meantime, the 350 families who were demolished last
June 26 are now suffering from hunger and disease. It is
only NGOs and church grops who are helping the people. The
food,medicines, tents and portable toilets that Dionisio de la
Serna, head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating
Committee promised to the people last June 29, have not materialized.
Scores of children, including adults, are down because of diarrhea,
colds, typhoid, cholera, and dengue. Two infants have died already.
Last week a typhoon just hit the country, with Manila experiencing
strong winds and generous rainfall which prompted authorities to
declare classes suspended for two days. As it moved out of the
Philippines another storm has replaced it.
We will e-mail you again on developments here and thank you for
your support.
Urban Poor Associates
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