ADVERTISEMENT
The relatives feel that there seems to be no sense of urgency in the search and rescue operations being conducted by the company. They say that at its current pace, the search would take three months.
Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay assailed the military’s action as it “shows the government’s desperation to cover up the situation of the victims of typhoon Pablo– the neglect of the victims’ needs, the corruption in its relief and rehabilitation efforts, and worst, the harassment of people who exposed these, leading to the killing of Cristina Jose, the leader of the Pablo victims’ organization."
They are being moved from one place to another; they have no stable jobs or sources of livelihood. Now, even basic social services are being denied from them.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Another unfulfilled promise to the urban poor?
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
The demolition team, accompanied by a large police contingent, arrived without any prior notice to preempt the preparations of the community to resist the demolition of their homes.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
The 84-year-old chairwoman emeritus of Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap is a tireless fighter, an inspiration to the poor
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
"Cali was only a boy; I don't understand why they had to shoot and kill him. He was only there to help the residents keep their houses." – Jojie Martinez, 10 years old
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Urban poor groups from various communities that have been demolished or under threat of demolition gathered near the Supreme Court to protest the way they are being treated by the government and the violations of their rights.
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
"What use do I have for school if we lose our home? My parents work as vendors in Makati, I attend school in the nearby high school. If we lose our house, we will be forced to live on the streets. I'm here because I want to help defend our community. We're poor, but we have dignity. They can't just drive us out like we're wild animals," said Jeffrey, 17.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
“It hurts that we lost our mother. She spent her life fighting for the welfare of families living here. She died here. And this is the same place where we would gather our strength to rise back.” – daughter of slain urban poor leader Marilou Valle
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
"We will defend our houses, we will defend our rights. We have as much right to live in Makati as the rich folk here."
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO and RONALYN V. OLEA
When they agreed to be relocated from Isla Puting Bato, they were thinking about their safety and the future of their children. The rampaging floodwaters from La Mesa dam last week washed away whatever security they felt when they first transferred here.
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
In Makati, the poor of Guatemala street know nothing of the city's wealth "We have heard that the Makati City fathers want to make Makati a premier city; we wish that it would do so without driving out the poor like us. We are people, too, and we are willing to do our share if only the government would help us a little instead of mostly ignoring us."
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
“Before her killing, Malou had already been receiving threats to her life. But she set those threats aside. She knew that threats, harassments and death are part of her fight against evil.” – Ecumenical Bishops Forum
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Getting no support from either the national or local governments after Typhoon Ondoy in 2009 inundated their homes, they were able to, piece-by-piece, rebuild their homes and their lives. And now again, their homes and meager belongings were swept away by the floods.
A community of readers and supporters that help us sustain our operations through microdonations for as low as $1.
Save as PDF