Gabriela Solons Condemn Devious Attempts by NHA to Demolish Macapagal Tenement in Tondo

GABRIELA solons De Jesus and Ilagan strongly condemned today attempts by the NHA to demolish the Diosdado Macapagal tenement in Vitas, Tondo and render its residents homeless at 10am and again at 1pm on June 14, 2011. This, despite ongoing negotiations sought by residents of the tenement with NHA to arrive at an agreement where they will be assured of returning back to the housing units once the tenement is rebuilt.

“The residents were given until June 17, 2011 by the NHA to vacate the tenement but they refused because they are awaiting the signing of the MOA with the NHA. These negotiations have been ongoing for the past months," explained Rep. De Jesus.

"The building was declared condemned in 1994, even while resident families have been faithfully paying their monthly dues collected by the National Housing Authority, including fees for the maintenance of the structure. They now ask where their money went and why they are made to suffer from government culpability. Note also that on June 9, 2011, the House of Representatives Committee on Housing approved a resolution to investigate the circumstances behind the inability of government to maintain and repair housing projects such as this, which have in fact been paid for already by the beneficiaries," Rep. De Jesus added.

"It is only right that if government now claims it will renovate or rebuild the tenement, that it provides a legally binding assurance to its residents that they have the right to go back to these units once the building is rebuilt. Also, many of these families would have enrolled their children in nearby public schools already. It is not correct for the NHA to demand that they volunteer to be moved to far-flung holding areas while the building is constructed, such as the NHA's offer of Towerville VI in Gaya-gaya, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan," explained Rep. Luz Ilagan further.

“GWP calls on the NHA to put on its thinking cap and implement solutions to the housing problem that will not give rise to more problems It should seriously start working on an in-city "holding area" for the residents of the Diosdado Macapagal tenement, and demolish the tenement only if it has the funds to rebuild the housing units," quipped Rep. De Jesus.

"At the same time, the Aquino administration should seriously start to implement programs that truly address unemployment and do not foster mendicancy on the part of urban poor families. We stand on the side of the right of urban poor families to just solutions to their housing problem. We will do everything within our legal mandate to assist these families," ended Rep. Ilagan.###