Under Aquino, Urban Poor Families are Treated as Rats – GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus

“The San Juan local government and the Aquino administration tandem in the demolition of Brgy. Corazon De Jesus proves that they see the urban poor as nothing more than rats. This betrays their pursuit of a comprehensive housing program for the poor as nothing but a big deception,” said GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus on the violent demolition of Brgy. Corazon De Jesus in San Juan.

De Jesus months earlier had consulted with the residents of Corazon De Jesus who proposed to the local government an in-city relocation program because their jobs in San Juan and nearby cities spell out their survival and the assurance that their children will be able to continue their schooling. But the city government did not heed their proposal and instead pushed for the violent demolition.

“The fact that there are 1,345,907 informal settler families nationwide as per NHA estimates, underscores the severity of the housing problem which the Aquino Administration solves through demolitions and forced evictions,” the Gabriela solon added.

“Violent demolitions, forced evictions, and relocation to places where jobs and social services are scarce if not absent, reflect the height of social injustice amid worsening poverty and unemployment. I call on local governments and the Aquino administration to evolve a comprehensive relocation program for the urban poor with utmost consideration of their rights as Filipino citizens. Our urban poor families are not rats. They deserve to be treated equally as decent human beings,” ended De Jesus. ###