Tacloban urban poor communities resist ‘no-build zone’ policy, build back sans govt support

By KADAMAY
January 12, 2014

TACLOBAN CITY – ‘We are not going anywhere’ is the assertion of residents living along the coastlines affected by the ‘no-build zone’ policy being imposed by the Aquino government. Despite prodding from the state to abandon these coastal communities, the survivors resist and have in fact started rebuilding makeshift shelters from the debris left by typhoon Yolanda, making do with tattered tin roofs and defective structures.

Urban poor leader Joel Abaño of the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY), himself a survivor and resident of Barangay 37, Sabang, Reclamation Area in Tacloban City, said that his fellow survivors from the storm surge caused by typhoon Yolanda have nowhere else to go for shelter, employment and livelihood.

The Sabang area, locally known as ‘Barangay Seawall,’ is one of the densely populated villages in the city. It faces the Tacloban sea port and lies adjacent to the central city marketplace. Most residents get their meager incomes from fishing, vending fruits, vegetables or fish at the nearby market or stevedoring at the port area.

“Life has become more difficult for the survivors since the government has been very slow in delivering the immediate needs of the typhoon victims for food, shelter and livelihood. We know that the presence of Aquino’s minions – DILG Sec. Mhar Roxas, DND Sec. Voltaire Gazmin and DOE Sec. Jericho Petilla – in the region was a mere show, done in the guise of helping the victims rebuild their lives, but actually intended to position themselves in the 2016 elections,” said Abaño.

Abaño lambasted the Aquino government for its anti-people rehabilitation program that causes the typhoon victims sufferings worse than Yolanda’s onslaught. The ‘no-build zone’ policy covering 40 meters from the shoreline prohibits typhoon victims from returning to their homes and livelihood. “It means massive displacements of families from their livelihood and denial of their right to housing,” added Abaño.

The Reconstruction Assistance on Yolanda (RAY), a document released by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), seeks to streamline the strict implementation of the no-build zone policy.

“The Aquino administration’s so-called concern for the safety of the residents living along the coastal communities directly runs counter to his economic policy of allowing large foreign mining corporations to encroach into Philippine territories, trample on our sovereignty, plunder the nation’s wealth and cause unprecedented damage to people’s lives and the environment,” said Abaño. “The most recent landslide in Southern Mindanao over the weekend that once again claimed lives is testament to the anti-people, pro-profit policy of the government. Our fellow poor families still endure the destructive consequences of the mining operations in the area,” added Abaño.

Kadamay said that at least ten thousand families in Tacloban City will be displaced by the off-limits policy. The Aquino government intends to relocate them to the overpriced and corruption-riddled “bunkhouses” where families will be cramped into rooms measuring 8.64 square meters each. The space is too small for a regular Filipino family of five to ten members, lacks ventilation, and prone to fires. The occupants will definitely endure conditions way below human standards.