Tiga halts demolition of shanties in Western Bicutan

By Rhodina Villanueva (The Philippine Star) Updated May 14, 2009 12:00 AM MANILA, Philippines Tension gripped more than 262 families living in Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig after members of the Philippine Army started knocking down houses in the area yesterday morning. However, the demolition of houses being occupied by around 262 families was stopped after Taguig Mayor Sigfrido Tiga appealed to stop the demolition until the residents are relocated. Tiga visited the site and personally requested Task Force Bantay Head Col. Marcial Constante Jr. to stop the demolition of informal settlers residing in sitios Masigasig and Masagana, and parts of Katipunan Village Sunriser, who have nowhere to go once evicted. The areas in question are part of the Libingan ng mga Bayani National Shrine, owned by the Department of National

Figure 1: Members of the Philippine Army Demolition Team

Defense (DND). The demolition was eventually stopped around 10 a.m. Tiga ordered the immediate construction of a staging area near the property, where the homeless families will be temporarily relocated. Vice Mayor George Elias said all the affected families will be accommodated in the makeshift shelter. The said families will be supplied with food and other basic necessities including toiletries, etc. Elias added that though the city government is not really the one responsible to provide a permanent relocation site for the informal settlers, they can still conduct an evaluation of the affected residents and see if they qualify for the housing programs launched in the city. There are also cases wherein the affected families can be transferred to housing projects in provinces near the city under the Balik Probinsya program. Moreover, Office of Social Welfare and Development head Nitz Jordan said the city government will continue to extend assistance to the affected families until the issue has been resolved. She encouraged the displaced residents to apply and avail of the city s housing program. On May 7, the Philippine Army s Task Force Bantay issued a memorandum asking the informal settlers to voluntarily demolish their houses based on Court of Appeals decision, affirming the DND s ownership of the area.

Yesterday, members of the Philippine Army s Task Group Bantay started to enforce the memorandum. The residents however, resisted and started throwing stones and bottles at the demolition team. A male resident identified in reports as Joemar de la Cruz reportedly sustained minor injury in the incident. But Senior Inspector Patricio Manlimil of Police Community Precinct 1 said their monitoring showed no one was injured even if there was resistance from the residents. Gunshots were also heard during the commotion but the local police said they were not able to verify who fired shots. The demolition was suspended only after Tiga intervened. Senior Superintendent Camilo Cascolan, Taguig police chief, said there were around 45 policemen that included members of the Civil Disturbance Management group, who were sent in the area to provide security as well as help maintain order while the operation was being conducted. Source: (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=467267&publicationSubCategoryId=65)

Relocation site eyed for evicted Fort Boni families

The Philippine Star 10/14/2006
The Taguig City government is negotiating with Department of National Defense (DND) for the possible allocation of a lot that can be used to accommodate the families displaced by the demolition recently conducted by the Philippine Army recently. Paul Michael Vasquez, Fort Bonifacio Satellite Government Center Area manager, said they are eyeing a four-hectare lot in Sitio Masigasig, Barangay Western Bicutan as a permanent relocation site. "We are hopeful there will be a positive response to our request so that the issue of homelessness in the city can somehow be addressed," Vasquez said, adding they have been coordinating with concerned agencies to discuss the plan. Last Thursday, members of the Philippine Army s Task Force Bantay (TFB) tore down 184 shanties being occupied by some 300 families who encroached on a property belonging to the Philippine Army s Military Shrine Services in Sitio Tago-Tago Barangay Western Bicutan. "The site is not covered by any proclamation and is not for awarding to informal settlers. The subject property belongs to the government," Vasquez said. Army spokesman Maj. Ernesto Torres said the government lot is intended for the expansion of the Libingan ng mga Bayani at Fort Bonifacio. The city government has prepared temporary staging areas, including covered courts, for affected families. "The mayor is also looking at the possibility of including qualified families in the Family Townhomes project, which would be built on a five-hectare property. Rhodina Villanueva

Source: (http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/ht/ht006624.htm)

Taguig settlers eviction still on amid appeal

By Nia Catherine Calleja Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 02:17:00 05/15/2009 Filed Under: Housing & Urban Planning, Military MANILA, Philippines -- Despite a request from Taguig City Mayor Tiga to stop the eviction of 1,000 families in Western Bicutan, the military yesterday tore down some of the houses built on a piece of government owned property. Wilma Separales, secretary general of the Nagkakaisang Maralita ng Sitio Masigasig Inc., said that almost three-fourths of the houses in Sitio Masigasig were demolished; a day after Tiga went to the area to personally ask the military to stop tearing down the resident houses. She said members of the Philippine Army s Task Group Bantay arrived in the area at around 8 a.m. and resumed demolishing their houses. There was a misunderstanding; Tiga said when he was asked for comment. Assistance However, Task Group Bantay ground commander Colonel Marcial Constante Jr. said that they were in the area to provide assistance to the affected families who had decided to vacate their houses. Separales said the military was sowing fear among residents. We thought they were our protectors? she said in Filipino. Tiga, meanwhile, said the city government would construct a temporary relocation area for displaced residents beside Centennial Village, located from across Sitio Masigasig, this week. Qualified However, only qualified settlers, estimated at around 400 families, would be accommodated in the relocation area, he added. Earlier this week, soldiers from Task Group Bantay started demolishing houses in four sitios in Taguig City after task group adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Salic Pangadir, issued a memorandum ordering residents of Masigasig, Masagana and parts of Katipunan and Sunriser to voluntarily demolish their illegally constructed structures within three days. On Tuesday, soldiers dressed in full battle gear and armed with long firearms, truncheons and shields, went to the area. A fight later broke out between them and the residents with both sides sustaining minor injuries.

Source: (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20090515-205107/Taguig-settlerseviction-still-on-amid-appeal)

Probe into Bicutan shanties demolition sought

By Nia Catherine Calleja Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 19:14:00 05/16/2009
Filed Under: Housing & Urban Planning, Poverty

MANILA, Philippines--A party-list group and a church are asking for an investigation into the military-led demolition of shanties in Western Bicutan in Taguig. The house resolution filed by ABA-AKO Party-list Representative Leonardo Montemayor on Thursday said the Philippine Army s Task Group Bantay had conducted the demolition without the required certificate of compliance and violated some protocols. It cited the Executive Orders 152 and 708 of President Macapagal-Arroyo, which states that the government designates the local housing boards as the sole clearing-house for all demolition and eviction activities. The military also violated the Constitution?s Section 10 Article 8 stating that poor dwellers should be evicted in a ?just and humane manner,? the resolution said. On Wednesday, soldiers of the Task Group Bantay began tearing down cramped houses in Sitio Masigasig, a land purportedly owned by the Department of National Defense. Taguig City Mayor Freddie Tiga later asked the military to suspend the demolition until the construction of the staging area for the temporary relocation. Tiga has promised the residents relocation to an empty lot beside the Centennial Village. Task Group Bantay s ground commander Col. Marcial Constante Jr. said the settlers were occupying the 40-hectare land, which is part of the Libingan ng mga Bayani National Shrine. He earlier said in an interview that his troop was only enforcing the decision of the Court of Appeals, which reversed and set aside the ruling of Commission on the Settlement of Land Problems. The residents, most of them have been living in the area for more than 10 years, got a favorable decision from COSLAP. It ruled that the land in question was alienable and disposable as proclaimed by then President Ferdinand Marcos. A bishop of the Eastern Catholic Church, Mar Yokhannan Bar-Thoma also questioned how the soldiers treated the civilians and urged an immediate investigation. They were treating (the residents) as if they were threats to national security, He told the Inquirer in Filipino. He said the settlers told him that the soldiers did not spare women and children during the demolition. We want to ask them which interest they are serving? He said. An indignation mass officiated by the Eastern Catholic Church was held in the demolition site on Friday morning. Source: (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20090516-205383/Probe-intoBicutan-shanties-demolition-sought)

Arroyo halts demolition in Taguig - solon

05/18/2009 | 12:39 PM MANILA, Philippines No less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has stopped the Philippine Army from demolishing about a thousand houses at Sitio (sub-village) Masigasig in Western Bicutan in Taguig City on Monday. Taguig Rep. Henry Dueas Jr. quoted presidential son Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Dato" Macapagal Arroyo as saying that the President herself ordered Armed Forces chief-of-staff Lt. General Victor Ibrado to halt the demolition operations. "Ang message ng anak na si Dato ay may order (si President Arroyo) kay General Ibrado na huwag na muna [Dato Arroyo said the President told General Ibrado to stop the demolition]," Dueas said in an interview aired on QTV s Balitanghali. Last Wednesday, the Army s Task Force Bantay started demolishing the houses at the 10-hectare residential area. It was earlier reported that the demolition was by virtue of a Supreme Court order stating that the property is rightfully owned by the Libingan ng mga Bayani National Shrine and that the residents should be evicted. Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga, however, rushed to the side of the residents and asked the Army to stop the demolition. The task force heeded the mayor s request, but returned the next day, Thursday. Some residents remained defiant and maintained that they would not leave their homes unless a relocation area would be provided, earlier reports said. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV Source: (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/161731/Arroyo-halts-demolition-in-Taguig---solon)

Tigil-demolisyon sa mga iskuwater, hiniling ngayong tag-ulan

08/13/2011 | 12:01 AM MANILA Hiniling ni Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. sa pamahalaang Aquino na magdeklara ng moratorium sa demolisyon ng iskuwater sa mga lugar na hindi nakapailalim sa state of calamity dahil sa mga bagyo. Sinabi ng senador na makataong hakbang ang gagawing tigil-demolisyon sa tahanan ng mga informal settler lalo na ngayong panahon ng tag-ulan. Iginiit niya na nakasaad sa Sec. 28 ng Republic Act (RA) 7279, o Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, na dapat ipatupad lang ang mga pagpapaalis o eviction sa mga informal settler kapag maganda ang panahon. Maaari rin itong gawin kung pumayag ang mga apektadong pamilya. Dobleng pahirap umano sa mga mahihirap na alisan ng bahay at hayaan silang mabasa ng ulan at walang masisilungang tahanan. Tinukoy ni Revilla ang ulat ng samahan ng mga maralitang taga-lungsod na Kadamay, na mahigit sa kalahating milyong pamilya sa Metro Manila na nahaharap sa eviction. Ang mga marahas na demolisyon ay nagresulta umano sa pagkawala ng tirahan ng may 35,000 residente.

Kabilang umano sa mga biktima ng demolisyon ay mga kababaihan at mga bata. Kaya naman paalala ni Revilla, ginarantiyahan ng RA 9262 o ang Violence Against Women and Children Act ang kapakanan ng mga kababaihan at mga bata. Ang makitang winawasak ang kanilang tahanan at kawalan ng tiyak na masisilungan habang matindi ang buhos ng ulan ay tiyak na makakapangamba sa isang ina o bata hinggil sa kanilang kaligtasan," ayon sa senador. Bukod sa matinding hirap sa kalooban, sinabi ni Revilla na nalalantad ang mga kababaihan at bata sa mga sakit kapag nabasa ng ulan gaya ng sipon, lagnat at mga water-borne diseases tulad ng dengue, diarrhea, cholera at leptospirosis. Sa halip na gamitin ang malaking bilang ng demolition crew at security forces sa paggiba ng bahay ng mga mahihirap, makabubuting gamitin ang puwersa sa mga search and rescue mission, evacuation at relief operation sa mga magiging biktima ng bagyo. Ang tigil-demolisyon ay maaaring ipatupad habang naghahanap naman ng solusyon ang pamahalaan sa tumitinding suliranin sa kakulangan ng mahusay na programang pabahay. Base umano sa ginawang pag-aaral ng Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) noong 2010, kabilang ang Pilipinas sa mga bansa sa Asya na may malaking bilang ng mga slum dweller. Mula 2000 hanggang 2006, tumaas ang slum population sa annual rate na mahigit na 3.5 percent kumpara sa urban population growth rate ng 2.3 percent. Sa Metro Manila lang, tinatayang 37 porcent ng population o mahigit 4.0 milyong katao ang naninirahan sa slum areas noong 2010. Pagdating ng 2050, tinatayang aabot pa sa siyam na milyon ang slum population sa Metro Manila. -- GMA News Source: (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/229309/pinoy-abroad/tigil-demolisyon-sa-mga-iskuwaterhiniling-ngayong-tag-ulan)

Tinga, 28 others cleared over illegal demolition

By JUN RAMIREZ April 28, 2010, 4:29pm

The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the criminal complaints filed against Taguig City Mayor Sigfrido Tinga and 28 other officials in connection with the alleged illegal demolition of squatter shanties at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) in Western Bicutan, it was learned Wednesday. In a 21-page decision approved by Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Navarro-Gutierrez, the anti-graft body said there was no substantial evidence to proceed with the prosecution of the case. Also cleared of the case were Capt. Oscar Quilang Sr., OIC of the Administrative Office of Fort Bonifacio; Josephine Papa, Local Housing Office; Virginia Cruz, Department of Education; Dalisay Lizardo, National Housing Authority; Virgilio Llemeses, Urban Poor Affairs Office, demolition and vending office chief Edgardo Mendoza; Barangay Chairman Danilo Rivera; Barangay Kagawad Armando Lopez; Atty. GIlbert Boiser, Commission on Human Rights; Percival Chavez, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor; Teresita Cuevas, Department of National Defense; Honorita Bayudan, Department of Social Welfare and Development; and 16 others who are mostly military officials. The charges stemmed from the alleged illegal demolition of the residence of private complainant Gloria Macaraeg, a member of the Sitio Masagana Taguig Neighborhood Association, Inc. (SMBTNAI) in Barangay Western Bicutan, on January 29, 2008. Macaraeg alleged that on April 10, 2006, she and other residents were issued notices to vacate by the Taguig local government even if the administration and jurisdiction over the lot is with the Military Shrines Services (MSS) of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO).

Moreover, she said the Philippine Army has been authorized by the Department of National Defense to undertake measures to demolish or file appropriate charges against illegal incursions in the LNMB. The complainant averred that for more than 10 years already, she is a bona fide resident, lawful professor and owner of the residential lot consisting 100 square meters in Sitio Masagana wherein her demolished residence was built.

Source: (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/255045/tinga-28-others-cleared-over-illegal-demolition)

Taguig gets tough on illegal settlers, land grabbers

By ELLSON A. QUISMORIO December 3, 2010, 6:45pm MANILA, Philippines The city government of Taguig said it does not fool around when it comes to dealing with land grabbers and squatting syndicates. This, as a task force composed of several city hall departments continued to tear down Friday hundreds of shanties erected by illegal settlers along the side of C-6 Road, New Lower Bicutan, Taguig. The local Public Information Office (PIO) said that the clearing operation, which started Thursday morning in the 1.3hectare area, is now 80 percent complete. The task force was expected to dismantle all the makeshift homes there around 300 by Friday afternoon. This will show that in Taguig, we deal with land grabbers and squatting syndicates seriously, said lawyer Darwin Icay, spokesperson of Taguig Mayor Ma. Laarni Lani Cayetano. Reports said there are 600 families squatting in the area. Members of Taguig police station, Traffic Management Office (TMO), Public Order and Safety Office (POSO), General Services Office (GSO), Local Building Office (LBO) and the Urban Poor Affairs Office (UPAO) comprise the task force. Icay said that the particular land being encroached is covered by Municipal Ordinance No. 117 passed in 2002, which declared the property as Municipal Reserve for parks, playgrounds and other public uses. It is jointly owned by the city government and several private individuals, he said. Although the operation went on smoothly, it was initially met with resistance by the illegal settlers. John Ordobeza, a member of the demolition team who is assigned at POSO, was injured when angry locals began pelting them with rocks at 10 a.m. Thursday. Senior Supt. Tomas Apolinario, city police chief, said that nine men were arrested and investigated as a result of the incident. A tenth individual, Mark John Pulig, was nabbed and charged. Last November 25, the same task force responded to C-6 after receiving a tip that illegal settlers were in the process of building shanties there. The unfinished and unoccupied structures were dismantled. Although the city government has been very patient in dealing with illegal settlers in the past, Icay said that this should not be seen as a weakness on the part of the 28-year-old mayor. Dont mistake the kindness of the mayor as weakness in dealing with illegal activities, the spokesperson said. The mayor will never be soft but rather will be strong in dealing with land grabbers and squatting syndicates. Icay added that the Taguig government would not hesitate in carrying out similar clearing operations if there is further violation of the city ordinance. He warned the public against being duped by syndicates who sell or rent pieces of land which they dont own. In the case of C-6, group leaders were reportedly soliciting for membership at the rate of P3,000 to P5,000.

Source: (http://www.mb.com.ph/node/290786/taguig-get)

Taguig Mayor Vows to Get Back Lost Properties of City Gov t

By ELLSON A. QUISMORIO September 22, 2010, 4:30pm

MANILA, Philippines Taguig Mayor Ma. Laarni Lani Cayetano is dead-set on recovering the lost city government properties that were purportedly given away by her predecessor just before she assumed office last June 30. The camp of the incumbent mayor said it has taken legal steps to solve the headaches caused by the so-called midnight donations by former three-term Taguig mayor Freddie Tiga. We have taken the necessary legal steps to recover vehicles, equipment and even property which we deemed as missing from the actual inventory or are in the possession of unauthorized personalities, lawyer Darwin Icay, Team Cayetano spokesperson, said. According to Icay, a former city councilor, Cayetano is determined to get back the missing properties for the benefit of her constituents. We will not tolerate this obvious attempt at sabotaging city hall operations and will apply the full force of law to punish the perpetrators, he said. The last-minute donations made by Tiga to his 25 allied barangays involving some 283 vehicles, office equipment, supplies and even lots owned by the City Hall had been deemed illegal by the new local administration. We are still in the process of recovering what we deemed as illegal donations of 283 service vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, tourist buses, military trucks, and motorcycles, Icay said. Vice Mayor George Elias, a staunch ally of now District I (Taguig-Pateros) Representative Tiga, said the barangays are now the legal owners of the vehicles by virtue of the deed of donation, as ratified by the City Council. The donation was therefore above-board and Cayetano has no right to take or confiscate them, Elias said. When Cayteno assumed her post as mayor, nearly all City Hall offices were found sacked of essential supplies and equipment, handicapping the operations of the local government, Icay said. Among those given away were electronic items such as sound system sets, audio visual equipment, computers as well as chairs and file cabinets. Even transactions involving the donation and selling of City Hall-owned lots proved to be controversial, said the lawyer. Icay said the Office of the Mayor is about to complete an audit of the transactions and contracts passed during the time of Tiga. He added that numerous anomalies have cropped up from the ongoing audit.

Source: (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/278417/taguig-mayor-vows-get-back-lost-properties-city-govt)

Ombudsman clears Tinga, 28 others

By ELLSON A. QUISMORIO April 5, 2010, 6:16pm Taguig City Mayor Sigfrido Freddie Tiga and 28 other government officials have been left off the hook after the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed a plethora of charges that were filed against them in connection with the demolition of squatter homes at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). In a 19-page resolution, the anti-graft body headed by Ombudsman Maria Merceditas Navarro-Gutierrez cleared Tiga and other city officials of the charges of graft, illegal demolition, malicious mischief, grave threats and qualified theft, due to lack of probable cause.

In the findings, Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Nellie Boguen-Golez ruled that there was no legal basis on the complaint filed by a certain Sandie Obragon Bilog following the demolition of his house and other illegal settlements at LNMB in Sitio Masagana, Western Bicutan, Taguig. It bears to emphasize that except for the allegation that the demolition was illegal there was no specific acts attributed to each of the respondents or evidence to show that violation of Section 3e of Republic Act (RA) 3019, Illegal Demolition, Malicious Mischief, Grave Threats and Qualified Theft were committed by them, Golez said. The Ombudsman stressed that Bilog cannot claim ownership over the land where his house was built because it is a National Shrine Reservation, now known as the Cemetery of Heroes. Being Part of the National Shrine Reservation, now commonly known as the Libingan ng mga Bayani, it is exempted from the operation of Republic Act 7279 or the Lina Law (which provides relocations to squatters), the resolution read. The Ombudsman said the complainant failed to provide legal documents that would establish ownership or rights over the land where his residence was built, despite submitting a photocopy of the Affidavit of Deed of Assignment with Waiver. It pointed out that even the regular court did not grant the preliminary injunction prayed for by Bilog as he failed to demonstrate that they have a clear and positive right to the preliminary injunction especially as the property in question is still actually covered by Proclamation No. 208 (The Marcos Proclamation which excluded certain portion of land in Taguig and reserved that same for national shrine purposes). It was ruled that therein plaintiff clearly failed to show any right on the lot in question, added the Ombudsman.

Source: (http://www.mb.com.ph/node/251246/o)