Bianca Gonzales speaks out on Manila's squatter infestation

[beni23]

Was it because it was said in Tagalog? Or was it because popular celebrity babe Bianca Gonzalez (with a “z” at the end) tweeted it? Whatever the reason, an outrage fad was born yet again after the modelling and social media superstar let out this gem on Twitter:

Ang dami nating nagtatrabaho para makaipon para sa prime lot at bahay plus buwis pa. Bakit nga ba bine-baby ang mga informal settlers?

Translated:
“So many people working hard to save to buy a house on prime land while paying their taxes. Why do we have to baby these informal settlers?”


It is an old concept. The simple principle behind Gonzalez’s tweet is rule of law and everyone — whether rich or poor — being subject to it. Quite simply, squatters live on land funded by the hard work of somebody else and put a strain on public works and services funded by somebody else’s tax money. I elaborated on this in a previous article Land ownership Hell: The Philippines is Squatter Central when it comes to government subsidies!. This being the Philippines which aspires to be a First World nanny state (despite lacking the cash to achieve that quaint aspiration), applicable laws to combat squatter infestation have been reduced to toothless drivel since the fall of former President Ferdinand Marcos.
Presidential Decree 772 (PD 772) effected by former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1975 made prosecuting “squatting and other criminal acts” relatively easy. Squatting under PD 772 was clearly a criminal undertaking as Section 1 of the decree states…
Any person who, with the use of force, intimidation or threat, or taking advantage of the absence or tolerance of the landowner, succeeds in occupying or possessing the property of the latter against his will for residential commercial or any other purposes, shall be punished by an imprisonment ranging from six months to one year or a fine of not less than one thousand nor more than five thousand pesos at the discretion of the court, with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency.
And so, under Marcos’s administration, thousands of squatters were successfully evicted from land they illegally inhabited and jailed for their offense.
Unfortunately PD 772 was repealed when Republic Act No. 8368, the “Anti-Squatting Law Repeal Act of 1997″ took effect. RA 8368 also authorised dismissal of all pending cases that drew upon the provisions of the now repealed PD 772. It also directed criminal cases against squatters to defer to the broader “Comprehensive and Continuing Urban Development Program” described by Republic Act 7279, which stipulated sanctions that are applicable only to “professional squatters” which are defined to be…
[...] individuals or groups who occupy lands without the express consent of the landowner and who have sufficient income for legitimate housing. The term shall also apply to persons who have previously been awarded homelots or housing units by the Government but who sold, leased or transferred the same to settle illegally in the same place or in another urban area, and non-bona fide occupants and intruders of lands reserved for socialized housing.
RA 7279 however explicitly excludes from the definition “individuals or groups who simply rent land and housing from professional squatters or squatting syndicates.” These laws, in effect, make the process of removing squatters from one’s property a long and convoluted one.
Well, we sow what we reap, don’t we?
Metro Manila is now a pigsty of a city. Squatters routinely deposit their household sewage into the Pearl of the Orient’s once picturesque esteros. The illegal structures they erect, have long been seen as the single biggest urban blight that contributes significantly to the problem of flooding in the Philippines’ wretched capital. Add to that too all the other illegally-erected structures of businesses backed by local politicians, such as the fish pens that proliferate all over Laguna de Bay. The aroma of raw sewage that engulfs the country’s premier metropolis is unmistakable during the wet season. And during the dry season, the thought of open sewers and where the thick ubiquitous clouds of dust that hang over the city 24 hours a day comes from is enough to discourage anyone from eating ice cream on a cone outdoors.
But because Bianca Gonzalez is a celebrity and because the starstruck society in which she makes her living expects its celebrities to be a “compassionate” bunch, Gonzalez’s tweet made waves. On the venerable pages of that exemplar of journalistic integrity Remate, can now be found the collective expression of indignation of the Filipino underclass…
“Kailangan maunawaan ni Bianca ang tunay na ugat ang urban poverty at squatting problem sa bansa. Ito ay isang social responsibility ni Bianca at ng iba pang journalist na tagapag-timon ng public opinion sa bansa,” ani [Gloria Arellano, KADAMAY national chairperson].
Inaasahan ng grupo na pagtatanong lamang ang naging komento ni Bianca. Nakahanda umanong maglinaw ang KADAMAY at sagutin kung talagang bini-baby ng gubyerno ang mga informal settler.
“Pam-bibaby bang maituturing ang libu-libong maralitang pamilyang na itinaboy ng gubyernong Aquino sa panahon ng kanyang panunungkulan at pagdanas nila ng pandarahas ng estado mula sa sapilitang paggiba ng kanilang tahanan, pagkakakulong, pagsasampa ng gawa-gawang kaso hanggang at pagmamaslang sa 13 maralitang tumututol sa demolisyon?” tanong ni Arellano.
Translating the above to the lingua franca of the 21st Century…
“Bianca needs to understand the real roots of urban poverty and the country’s squatting problem. This is a social responsibility of hers and other journalists who shape public opinion.” says Gloria Arellano, KADAMAY national chairperson.
The KADAMAY group (an acronym for the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap or Confederation for Solidarity Among the Impoverished) hopes that Bianca merely tables a rhetorical question. The KADAMAY group is ready to clarify whether the government is indeed coddling the informal settler community.
“Can we even regard as ‘babying’ the state’s violent demolition of homes, the imprisonment and filing of cases against the 13 who protested this demolition which transpired under the government of President Aquino?” asks Arellano.
Gonzalez has since reportedly expressed to Vencer Crisostomo (chairperson of leftist militant group Anakbayan) her intention to initiate talks with the aggrieved parties.

http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2...r-infestation/


I don't want to be mean pero totoo naman ang sinasabi ni Bianca.

This poster "ISKWATER AKO" made me LOL

[K.I.L.L.]

I'm with Bianca. First of all, I believe in calling a spade a spade. Why do we need to call them informal settlers when everyone knows that they are squatters illegally squatting on someone else's property. Why should I work so hard and let freeloaders take advantage of my hard work? The way I look at it, my tax rate is probably 32% so that means that from January 1 until rougly April 27, all that I make belong to the government who will use it for various projects including giving rent and relocating squatters. Only from April 28 until the end of the year do I benefit from my own hard work. But wait, there's still the 12% VAT that now includes association dues and everything else I have to pay for so that means when I pay my association dues, the extra 12% can still be used by politicians for the squatters.

Know what? We should all pass a law where only taxpayers can vote. Why should they have a say in who runs the country when they don't even pay taxes to support running the country? If this were to happen, politicans won't need to coddle them. If they were to register as a voter, they should show their TIN and SSS. Why should a snatcher, a thief, a rapist be allowed to have a say? I bet most jeepney and tricycle drivers don't even pay taxes too yet they give both air and noise pollution to our environment and are a constant source of corruption since they're the ones who always bribe traffic enforcers. And on top of that, squatter colonies are a hub of criminal activity. By having them in our midst, we are tempting fate and risking our loved ones and way of life daily.

I think it is high time for the ones that work and pay taxes to stand up for their rights and let the government know that should not use our taxes to support squatters. Let them get relocated back to where they came from and criminalise squatting which is essentially land stealing. After all, aren't politicians supposed to be public servants who are supported by our taxes?

And now it makes me wonder where the heck Lina is. After all, he was the one who made the "Lina law" so I'm wondering if he allows squatters on his properties.

[CLAVEL3699]

kakainis ang sitwasyon na eto.

Biktima din kami nang mga squatters na yan... may lupa kami sa camarin caloocan

6months lang hindi napuntahan nang magulang ko ayu ang dami na squatters sila pa ang matatapang...

wala kami nagawa kundi magdemanda kaso sa tagal ang processo talo din kami sa gastos.

[crazy_boy]

kakainis ang sitwasyon na eto.

Biktima din kami nang mga squatters na yan... may lupa kami sa camarin caloocan

6months lang hindi napuntahan nang magulang ko ayu ang dami na squatters sila pa ang matatapang...

wala kami nagawa kundi magdemanda kaso sa tagal ang processo talo din kami sa gastos.

kami din ganyan dati, nagbigay pa kami ng pera para umalis sila. pero swerte lang ngayon at napaalis din ng mga sheriff yung mga squatter. sa ngayon nakabakod na at may guard na.

[black ice]

yan ang hirap sa bansa natin eh ikaw na nakabili ng lupa pag tinirhan ng iskwater sila pa matatatapang at ikaw pa makikusap at ang mabigat sila pa humihingi ng demands at wala kang magawa kundi magbayad.. talagang its more fun in da pilipins..

[CLAVEL3699]

^^^ 7yrs na kami nasa korte... puro reschedule ang nangyayari.

[Monseratto]

A lot of decent Filipinos are getting fed up with arrogant squatters « Get Real Post

A lot of decent Filipinos are getting fed up with arrogant squatters
July 10, 2013by Ilda

The squatters in the Philippines have wreaked havoc in the country and they are out of control. The problem is quite obvious and the solution is staring everyone in the face; there are just not enough public servants with enough guts to address the issue. But someone has to put an end to the vicious cycle of squatting particularly in Metro Manila where most poor Filipinos from the provinces seem to converge.

Arrogant Filipino squatters
The squatters or illegal settlers need to move out of wherever they have been squatting for years or even decades because they simply do not belong there. They have long enjoyed their stay, living on abandoned or unoccupied areas of land without being asked to move out. Some of them clog the rivers not just with their garbage, but also with their household waste, which eventually result in the flooding of the streets and residential areas of the cities specially in times of heavy rain. As long as the squatters remain where they are and are allowed to flourish, the Philippines will not reach its full potential as a business hub that finds favor in the eyes of foreign investors.

Squatters indiscriminately dump waste onto Manila’s waterways.
In other words, the activities of the people squatting are foul. They have no concern or respect for the rights or property of others and have total disregard for the environment and welfare of other people. Some squatters can also be quite arrogant, defiant and selfish when law enforcement agencies finally clamp down on their illegal activities. One video shows illegal settlers berating the court sheriff and demanding to know when and if they are going to be paid by cash or check before they agree to being relocated. Some even joked that the check better not bounce. They appeared to be enjoying their few minutes of fame in front of the camera relating their tales of woes. One wonders why the news crew tends to focus only on their plight and not the story behind why they were allowed to stay there for so long. There is a lot to be said about why they were allowed to stay squatting to begin with.

The squatter problem in the Philippines has been made complicated by misguided Filipinos who think that it is the Philippine government’s sole responsibility to provide housing, education and health for them. Not only is this notion unsustainable, it is an unfair burden on taxpayers.

Who can solve the squatter problem in the Philippines? Certainly, the incumbent President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino cannot solve it. Someone even said that the Aquino-Conjuangco clans also act like squatters who have illegally occupied Hacienda Luisita for decades. Violence and intimidation were key to helping them keep the lands that were meant for the poor farmers.

BS Aquino seems more preoccupied with his popularity than providing a permanent solution to the country’s long-standing issues. He will not risk the wrath of the squatters because the Liberal Party still needs to get their votes in the next Presidential election. The President could even increase the number of recipients of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) or dole outs to the poor as a way distracting them from the lack of progress during his term.

The reaction of the members of the thinking class is long overdue. They need to step up and call out what the government is doing, which is simply coddling the squatters. Philippine politicians need to quit being overprotective of people who abuse the system just to get the votes in the next election. This abusive behavior from both the public officials who buy off votes using tax payer’s money and squatters who take advantage of the situation need to end lest every corner of the country get run over by squatters.

[crazy_boy]

^^^ 7yrs na kami nasa korte... puro reschedule ang nangyayari.

matagal din sa amin. umabot kami ng 10 years yata. but i guess naka swerte din kami at may mga tumulong sa amin (they got connections and knowledge para mapabilis yung process)

[111prez]

Nakow, may excuse na ang mga militante para pumunta sa studio/bahay ni Bianca at mag picket.

[cardict]

A lot of decent Filipinos are getting fed up with arrogant squatters « Get Real Post

The only way,change our form of government,let's have parliamentary form so we can change our leader who is a non performing asset thru popular vote or vote of confidence