PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s allies in the Senate criticized his decision to allow members of the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) keep the housing units they forcibly occupied in Pandi, Bulacan because it will set a bad precedent.
Senators JV Ejercito, chairman of the Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement Committee, and Senator Richard Gordon said Kadamay should comply with the process so that their occupation would not become a precedent for other groups demanding housing from the government.
Ejercito believes Kadamay’s occupation in Pandi, Bulacan serves as a wake-up call for the government to address the country’s massive housing problem.
While he appreciates Duterte’s “heart for the poor and homeless,” Ejercito said this should not be the means by which anyone becomes a recipient of housing projects.
“I am against any form of a government project being held hostage in order to justify anyone’s need for shelter, unless in times of calamity. We have to do things right,” he said, adding that Kadamay should still go through the proper process in the turnover and awarding of housing units.
“Regardless of the President’s decision, the Senate investigation on Kadamay’s occupation will still push through on April 18,” he said.
“We are convinced that government housing projects are no longer about structures, but should also cover a comprehensive and strategic plan in addressing other basic needs of beneficiaries such as access to livelihood, transportation, education, and health facilities,” he said.
To effectively map this out and to address the housing backlog, he cited the need to pursue the creation of a Department on Human Settlements and Urban Development and the passage of the In-City Relocation Bill. These two are our priority measures in the Senate Committee this year.
Gordon, for his part, branded as a “ticket to anarchy” the decision of Duterte to let Kadamay took over the property because it is a “bad signal” that Kadamay is getting the houses built by the National Housing Authority.
“You would give them to those creating chaos. Bad signal, Mr. President,” Gordon said.
“Again, you’re falling on your own sword because if that’s the case, that’s a ticket to what you call anarchy. Anybody taking the law into their own hands. These people are not above the law,” Gordon said.
This ruckus in Bulacan, Gordon said appeared to be Filipinos grabbing what’s for poor fellow Filipinos.
Kadamay members have been occupying some 5,000 vacant housing units in seven housing areas in Bulacan since March 8.
