(Eagle News) — First, it was the government housing units in Pandi, Bulacan.
Now, the controversial urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap, said they would also want to occupy another 4,000 housing units reserved for soldiers and policemen, and other Metro Manila homeless, following the announcement of President Rodrigo Duterte tolerating their occupancy of the Pandi housing in Bulacan.
Kadamay is now saying that aside from the housing units in Pandi, it also wants to take over other housing units intended for policemen, soldiers and firemen in Bocaue and Bustos, also in Bulacan province, as well as in other parts of the country.
“We assume his [the President’s announcement] applies to all the vacant houses benefitting the soldiers and policemen, not only in Bulacan but throughout the country,” Kadamay chair Gloria Arellano said.
Arellano said they will in fact ask the President if they could also occupy about the 3,000 housing units in Bocaue and the other 877 housing projects in Bustos town that remained idle.
“Since the President referred to all housing projects for soldiers and policemen, we assume [those housing sites] are now ours … to benefit the homeless,” she said.
Some policemen are now guarding the Bustos and Bocaue housing projects for fear that it could be occupied again by informal settlers led by Kadamay.
Duterte during his speech in the 120th Founding Anniversary of the Philippine Army asked the police and the military to give up the housing units in Pandi, Bulacan for the urban poor group.
“Let them stay there because they’re poor,” the President said.
He then told the members of the police and military that he will build more beautiful housing projects intended for the uniformed personnel.
“Let us not wage a fight against our own people. Since they are poor, let’s just try to understand them. I’ll build another housing project for you soonest and I intend to complete it by December,” the President promised.
