QC CBD: Development or Destruction?

Urban poor families are always in threat of displacement due to demolitions and forced evictions carried out because of the following reasons: government infrastructure and decongestion projects, creation of tourism destinations and production areas, public-private partnership projects, mixed-used development projects and land disputes. Rep. Hicap, Anakpawis party-list

DESTRUCTION: RIOTS AND CHARGES Following the scheduled dispersal of protesters in North Triangle last July 1, riot erupted and charges were filed by both the cops and the residents. Due to the scuffle that erupted between the police and the North Triangle residents, Police Superintendent Pedro Sanchez charged leaders and residents Carlito Badion, Estelita Bagaspas, Arnulfo Anoos, and Josephine Lopez with indirect assault last July 26. According to Sanchez, three policemen from the Quezon City Police District-Station 2 sustained injuries from the stones thrown by the residents who set up barricades. Reports said that explosive pillboxes and bottles were hurled at the authorities who attempted to clear the area. The residents responded to the charges by Sanchez by filing an administrative case against him last July 30. This was due to the violence from the end of the police force during the dispersal. Myrna Dalida, a resident who filed the complaint, said she was hit by Sanchez in the knee with his truncheon, causing her to be incapacitated. The charges filed include oppression, grave abuse of discretion, incompetence and conduct prejudicial to public service.

DEVELOPMENT: ROAD WIDENING PLUS QC-CBD The barricade last July 1 was in response to the notice of eviction that lapsed that day, to give way to the 11.3-meter road widening project in Agham Road. The road widening would affect some 500 families. According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the road is a right of way thats why the road widening project is being implemented. However, from Ka Lourdes of the September 23 movement, an alliance of North Triangle organizations, the road widening is just the first part of a bigger scheme by the governmentwhich is the Quezon City Central Business District (QC-CBD). Under Executive Order No 106 creating the tripartite body called the North Triangle Development Committee that will manage the creation of the QC-CBD, 250 hectares of the North and East triangles will be utilized to develop a mixed-use development which the World Bank dubbed as the center of gravity of all commercial activities in Metro Manila in the coming years. This 250-hectare area includes the makeshift houses in Agham Road and the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, among others.

Ayala Land Inc. is investing P65 billion to develop phase 1 of this project. According to the master plan, the new Triangle Park will stimulate the development of a well-organized CBD that is able to maximize land values, promote quality living, while adhering to globally acceptable standards of environmentfriendly communities. There are five districts to the QC-CBDthe Emporium will focus on Information and Communication technology infrastructures like call centers and government institutions; the Downtown Hub would be a concentration of medical, academic and religious institutions; the Triangle Exchange would hold a variety of mixed commercial and retail zones including restaurants and shopping centers; the Residence district would house lower and high-rise residential buildings; and the Commons will be an open space for recreational activities etc. Introduced by city councilors Julian Coseteng, Precious Hipolito-Castelo, Allan Benedict Reyes, and Eufemio Lagumbay and co-introduced by Gian Carlo Sotto, Anthony Peter Crisologo and Ricardo Belmonte Jr., the project visions to generate close to 200,000 jobs upon completion.

DESTRUCTION: WHERE WILL THE URBAN POOR GO? Ka Lourdes said in Filipino, our campaign is for the poor to be given a space here in Quezon City. There are no urban poor communities in the QC-CBD proposal. Only businesses. Where will they put the underprivileged? Over the years, Ka Lourdes community, San Roque, has been continuously reduced by demolitions by the government. During the 90s, a part of San Roque has been demolished for the creation of the Trinoma Mall. In 2007, a 6-meter road widening project that was implemented in EDSA eliminated some 30 families. Presently, the 11.6-meter road widening would again run over hundreds of families and eventually, the QC-CBD project would totally eliminate the whole community. We condemn the Aquino government and the QC local government for this demolition attempt. They are again prioritizing big capitalists profits over the welfare of the poor, said KMU secretary-general Roger Soluta in a statement. They are targeting us bit-by-bit. They say only 11.3 meters would be affected, that the inside of the community would be left alone, but there is such a thing as self-demolish. The NHA, along with security guards by Ayala, would go from house to house to offer money and relocation, Ka Lourdes added.

RELOCATION SITES: DEVELOPMENT OR DESTRUCTION? The relocation houses for the families are situated at Montalban and Bulacan. However, not all families are given the opportunity to relocate. 41 of the families that would be affected by the road widening were said to be not included in this years census. Thus, they were not offered relocation and are only given P5,000 if their houses are demolished. There are families who opted to take the P32,000 offered to them and transfer to the relocation sites. However, Ka Lourdes shared that some of her kumare regret taking the offer and would go back to their homes in San Roque if given the chance.

The rent is 2,800 per month. We cant afford that. The QC government is boasting about their relocation sites but those are too far from our jobs. You need P100 to be able to commute to and fro and for people putting up stores and need to carry their supplies via taxi, P500 is not even enough. There are no hospitals inside the relocation sites either. Water is at a flat rate of P250, even if youre not using it. Even the land where the houses are built are loose and unstable. Ka Lourdes shares that some of her colleagues have taken up the offer because they were too scared of the demolishers. However, she emphasizes that she has to stay strong not for herself but for her children who were born and grew up in San Roque. Here in QC, they will be able to get a better education compared to the relocation sites where the children are cramped in one school. Leading institutions and quality education is here in QC. They are taking that away from us, Ka Lourdes said. In the end, because the relocation sites were more liabilities than assets, residents tend to just sell the relocation houses and would go back to QC and either live with their relatives or squat again somewhere. This earned them the term, professional squatters.

STOP THE DEMOLITIONS - ANAKPAWIS In response to the violent and unjust demolitions, Rep. Fernando Hicap called for the protection of thousands of urban poor families from violent attacks pending provision of livelihood, adequate housing, and social services by the government." He filed a resolution to ask the government to impose a moratorium on demolitions and forced evictionsb last July 29. Upon filing House Resolution 120, he said that *the government+ wants to brush away the underprivileged from danger zones but they are putting them in death zones instead where there are no livelihood, no jobs, no services and houses vulnerable to calamities like earthquake and flash floods. Carlito Badion, vice chairperson of KADAMAY added, this is an acid test for Aquino if he will go against the rotten ways of the present administration. Will he hold his ground for the welfare of the oppressed, against the huge and foreign businessmen interested in this project?