(Eagle News) – Police have arrested 37 illegal settlers who are alleged members of the controversial urban poor group Kalipunang Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) for re-occupying a private property in Tandang Sora, Quezon City from where they had been evicted last year.
The alleged Kadamay members re-occupied the lot as the urban poor group continued their so-called “Occupy” missions of land and housing units which are not their own.
There were women, children, and elderly settlers who were among those who had tried to go back to the Tandang Sora lot.
Because of their actions, the Quezon City police are now preparing to file charges of trespassing, malicious mischief and coercion because the illegal occupants forced their way into the property, at lot 14 Apollo Street in Barangay Tandang Sora.
They were evicted from the area before in June 2016 when the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) demolished their shanties.
This was after the court had upheld the claim of Reynaldo Guiab and Jose Gil Gonzales as the true owners of the 1,668 square-meter property.
But instead of leaving the area, the evicted settlers then occupied the street, and lived there in shanties for almost a year using the side roads as their toilets, which inconvenienced many legitimate residents in the area.
Recently because of the “success” of the Kadamay group in Bulacan, the settlers were emboldened to occupy the lot from where they had been evicted in Tandang Sora.
But unlike in Bulacan, the Quezon City police was quick to arrest them.
Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, QCPD director said they were “able to accost and arrest 37 persons. We are preparing charges such as trespassing and malicious mischief.”
The illegal settlers allegedly broke through the fence on Sunday and even disregarded the actions of the security guards who were guarding the private property.
Eleazar said this cannot be tolerated, explaining that there was a process to be followed in availing the housing units.
“Hindi naman tayo papayag ng ganoon,” he said referring to Kadamay’s action in Tandang Sora. “We are not siding with anyone here, whether rich or poor. But the rule of law cannot be compromised,” the Quezon City police district chief said.
In reaction to this, Kadamay vowed to hold a protest rally before the Quezon City Hall for the alleged illegal demolition and arrest.
The group questioned the QCPD’s action and rejected the court ruling on the area.
They claimed the settlers there had been in the area for some 30 years before the demolition.
