THOUSANDS OF URBAN POOR EVACUEES
RETURNING TO FLOOD PRONE HOMES
MANILA, OCTOBER 9, 2009
(STAR) By Perseus Echeminada -Thousands of urban poor residents
displaced by the massive flooding due to tropical storm “Ondoy” have left
evacuation centers and are returning to their homes – or what’s left of them –
along river banks and other flood-prone areas in Metro Manila, an official of
the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP) told a news forum yesterday in
Quezon City.
PCUP undersecretary Percival Chavez told reporters that in Pasig City, at least 25,000 families had gone back to their homes in Manggahan floodway, one of the hardest hit areas in Metro Manila.
The Manggahan floodway, instead of bringing the water out to sea, sent back floodwaters to Pasig and Marikina.
“Affected families are returning to the danger zone and we are coordinating with local governments to address the problem,” Chavez said.
He said aside from the Manggahan floodway, residents along the Tullahan River, Marican and Lagarian creeks are also returning to their shanties in the flooded waterways.
He said of the 700,000 families affected by the recent flooding, at least 150,000 are living in waterways and other danger zones in Metro Manila.
Chavez said the government is now in the process of documenting affected families and has already identified 5,000 families who lost their houses and are set to be relocated in Laguna.
He admitted that it would take time before the government could relocate 100,000 residents in danger zones along waterways.
Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to conduct an emergency recovery conference with local chief executives in Metro Manila, Laguna and Rizal to map out strategies for the evacuees’ immediate relocation.
Marikina families relocated to Sta. Rosa
Around 145 families from Marikina who lost their homes due to Ondoy were relocated to Southville 3 in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and were also assured of livelihood assistance for their slipper- and bag-making businesses, for which Marikina is known.
Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chairman Noli de Castro welcomed on Wednesday the relocated residents from Barangays Tumana, Concepcion Uno and Dos and Fortune in Marikina.
Around 145 families have already volunteered to relocate to Southville 3 in Sta. Rosa. A thousand more are being processed and are expected to be transferred as soon as DSWD, LGU-Marikina and NHA complete the social preparations of the affected families.
“The President gave me instructions to prioritize the displaced families from Marikina, particularly those who are in the evacuation centers and have no more homes to go back to,” De Castro said.
The Vice President said the DSWD and NDCC are also processing displaced families from other areas affected by Ondoy, such as Quezon City, Pasig City, Cainta, and Taytay.
Sta. Rosa Mayor Arlene Nazareno assured Marikina Mayor Marides Fernando that she would take care of the new Sta. Rosa residents.
“These families lost almost all of their belongings, that’s why we’re providing them more than the regular relief assistance to tide them over this difficult period. DSWD will also provide cash for work to the affected families. What is important is to assure them of a roof now, and then we’ll work at providing them training and livelihood assistance so that they can move on and get some normalcy back in their lives.” De Castro added.
Fernando discussed with Nazareno the commitment of Marikina to expand its livelihood projects to the relocated families in Sta. Rosa.
“I appreciate that Mayor Nazareno, our receiving LGU, is supportive of the national government effort to provide shelter security to the displaced families. I’m also confident that Mayor Fernando, as the sending LGU, will support her constituents in the interim as they start a new life in Sta. Rosa. We have seen this partnership work among our rail relocatees. I am sure it’ll work just fine for the relocatees from the esteros and river banks,” he added.
A medical mission was also conducted for the families in Southville 3 to prevent an outbreak of waterborne and other diseases among the families. Some parts of Southville 3 are still under water.
Some 1,500 individuals availed of the medical assistance provided by the Office of the President and HUDCC.
De Castro also inspected the ongoing developments in Calauan Resettlement Project that will be made available within one month to families displaced by the typhoon as well other families in danger areas. HUDCC estimates that there are about 107,139 families living in danger areas in Metro Manila alone. – With Pia Lee-Brago
Urban poor group opposes Manila Bay cleanup (The Philippine Star) Updated October 09, 2009 12:00 AM
[PHOTO AT LEFT - A man uses a banca to collect recyclable materials from garbage floating in the waters of Manila Bay off Pasay City. Manny Marcelo | MANILA, Philippines]
MANILA - A group claiming to represent the urban poor asked the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday to consider the welfare of 70,000 urban poor families whose shanties along Manila Bay or its connecting waterways are in danger of being demolished as part of the cleanup of Manila Bay.
The Urban Poor Associates (UPA), through Ritche Esponilla, said the SC should convene the advisory committee created eight months ago for the project and determine if the rights of the urban poor have been violated.
He said the 70,000 urban poor families have not been properly relocated, and there are reports that unannounced and illegal demolitions were carried out earlier this year along waterways and canals connected to the bay.
Esponilla said while the cleanup is valuable and must be duly supported by all sectors, it must not come at the expense of displacing thousands of urban poor families already marginalized by society.
“Let us be clear about two things here. One, the poor are not the major cause of the floodings. Second, the urban poor communities are not against any move to clean up Manila Bay in order to restore its former splendor,” he said.
The UPA said floods could be caused by urban planning defects and environmental degradation as a result of illegal logging and quarrying activities in the mountains around Metro Manila. The group also said the urban poor dwellers along canals, waterways and other so-called danger areas are there not as a “matter of choice” but because they need to survive.
“As such, we believe in the effort to clean up Manila Bay, a comprehensive and decent relocation program and immediate economic relief must come with the initiative,” Esponilla said. – Edu Punay
Evacuees develop fear of water - official By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star) Updated October 07, 2009 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - Some of the victims displaced by tropical storm “Ondoy” have developed a fear of water, hampering efforts to get them back to their residences, an official of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) said yesterday.
According to PNRC secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang, social workers sent by the PNRC to conduct “critical incident stress management (CISM)” among evacuees have observed that many of the victims were “traumatized” by the massive flooding brought about by Ondoy.
“Most of them don’t want to go back to their homes, especially those living in low-lying areas. They claimed that they are used to flooding but it was the first time for them to experience that (Ondoy floods). They are afraid that it would be repeated,” she told The STAR.
Pang noted that some evacuees no longer want to go back to their rented home but have no money to pay for the deposit of renting a new house.
Social workers have conducted CISM among 606 victims by setting up welfare desks in H. Bautista Elementary School and Malanday Elementary School in Marikina City.
CISM is intended to help people cope with their traumatic experiences by allowing them to talk about it.
“Red Cross believes that it is not only important to nourish the body, we also have to ensure the total well-being of a person. We look at everything – even their personal hygiene,” Pang claimed.
The PNRC has 20 professional social workers and several non-professional but trained social workers that have been tapped to deal with the victims. They were tasked to refer to psychiatrists those who need “higher level of assistance.”
The social workers observed that the morale of many of the victims is low since they lost property and belongings while those who lost their loved ones are still in deep pain.
“When they see you, they will show you the identification cards of their relatives who cannot yet be found... These people have struggled to survive but now, they have to face reality... and even live a hard life in the evacuation centers,” she said.
With CISM, social workers organize group discussions in which victims could talk about their ordeal. In some cases, one-on-one consultation is held if requested by an evacuee.
But Pang said that CISM is performed not only among the victims but among social workers and rescuers as well.
“The rescuers saw dead bodies while the social workers have been hearing about the stories and the problems of the victims. It’s possible that they would also be drained themselves so from time to time, they also undergo stress debriefing,” she added.