MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday lashed out against members of urban poor group Kadamay, as he continued his tirades against communists and vowed more financial aid for his troops.
In a speech in Malacañang, Duterte said Kadamay, the group that illegally took over housing units meant for cops and soldiers in Bulacan, should not use poverty as an excuse to “sow chaos.”
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“Ito ngayon, mga Kadamay, itong mga Left, you are almost anarchists. ‘Yung para sa inyo wala nang batas, basta’t na lang inaagaw ninyo kung — as if walang gobyerno, walang nagko-control,” Duterte said.
Kadamay members took over some 5,000 housing units in Bulacan in March this year, decrying the government’s supposed neglect of the country’s homeless.
The impasse between authorities and the urban group was resolved after the government decided to just let the group’s members occupy the houses.
Kadamay members, however, have complained of the conditions in the housing site, noting the lack of basic services such as water and power supply.
Duterte revived the Kadamay occupation issue as talks between the government and the National Democratic Front have collapsed.
The President that there will be deadly consequences should Kadamay repeat its illegal occupation in other areas in the country.
“Huwag ninyong ulitin ang ginawa ninyo. Nagwa-warning ako sa inyo. Kung ulitin ninyo ‘yan at pipilitin niyong papasok, ang order ko talaga, paalisin kayo sa pwersa. Either batutahin kayo o ‘pag lumaban kayo, ipagbabaril ko kayo. Huwag ninyong gamitin ‘yang pagka-pobre ninyo to create chaos,” he said.
Ending the decades-old communist insurgency had been a top priority for Duterte, but talks have been on and off under the feisty leader, who has accused the communists of being two-faced because of their continued armed attacks against government forces.
The President has also lambasted the rebels for collecting “revolutionary taxes” from businesses and ordinary people.
The friction between Duterte and communist leaders also went up another level when the President placed the entire Mindanao under martial law to address the terror threat posed by Islamist extremists.
In his speech, Duterte again defended his decision to terminate the peace talks with the communists.
“Simula ngayon, no more talks. I will prepare government. Lahat ng pera, gagastusin ko muna sa military, wala na muna ‘yang ano. Sila ang unahin ko,” he said.
“Alam mo bakit? Kasi ‘pag hindi ko ginawang matatag at matibay na militar pati pulis, babagsak itong bayan na ito sa kalokohan ninyo.”
Urban poor group Kadamay on Thursday said it cannot promise to stop occupying idle government housing projects even after President Rodrigo Duterte allowed their members to remain in the housing units they laid claim to in Bulacan.
“Hindi po namin masasabi dahil ang kailangan po, ang mahihirap ay bigyan ng pabahay. Serbisyong panlipunan po ito. Sana maunawaan ng takapakinig natin,” Kadamay national chairperson Gloria Arellano said in a phone interview with radio DZMM.
(We cannot guarantee that because the poor should really be given housing. This is a necessary social service, we hope our listeners can understand.)
Since early March, around 4,000 Kadamay members have taken over vacant housing units in resettlement sites in Pandi, Bulacan, including those intended for policemen and soldiers.
The group said the units have been unoccupied for 5 years so the government should just give them away for free.
Duterte, in a surprising development, told soldiers and policemen on Tuesday to let Kadamay members have the houses, and promised to build better houses for the uniformed men.
Although Arellano hailed the President’s move, she said the government should just distribute the houses to Kadamay members for free because they cannot pay for the units’ monthly dues.
“May taon po iyan na aabot sa P420,000. Hindi po kakayanin ng mga mahihirap iyan dahil ito ay negosyong pabahay. Dapat lahat ng walang pabahay na napakahihirap talaga na nagkalat na sa kalye, tabing-ilog, sa ilalim ng tulay ay nabibigyan ng pabahay,” the activist said.
(There will come a year when dues would reach P420,000. The poor cannot afford to pay for the houses which have become a government business. All indigent Filipinos who live in the streets, river banks and under bridges should be given houses.)
The National Housing Authority, she added, should improve the implementation of its resettlement projects.
“Dapat gumising ang ahensyang ito na kailangan ayusin niya ang pamamalakad,” Arellano said.