Demolitions: Protecting the Rights of the Underpriviledged
On November 28, 2016, Quezon City 6th District Representative Kit Belmonte defended before the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development House Bill 157 which sought to prescribe a Code of Conduct for eviction of underprivileged and homeless citizens.
This measure aims to institutionalize the conduct of a pre-demolition conference (PDC) or a consultation among all stakeholders before any execution of demolition. This also aims to strengthen the safeguards already provided for under Section 28 of the RA 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA).
Despite the provisions in the Constitution and the UDHA, violence still erupts during the conduct of evictions and demolitions of informal settler families, leading to instances of severe injuries, and sometimes, loss of lives, especially among the poor and vulnerable dwellers. Moreover, these instances of violence get publicized, not only in the local and national mass and social media, but also in the international press, putting the country’s reputation as signatory to various human rights covenants and agreements in a negative light.
“Sa tuwing magkakaroon ng demolisyon sa aming distrito, naranasan kong humarang at maki-isa sa mga barikada. Kinakailangan kong mamagitan sa mga galit na taumbayan at mga kawani ng DPWH o MMDA. Kadalasan, sa umpisa pa lamang, ‘di organisado ang taumbayan, kulang sa pagbababa ng impormasyon ang magdedemolish kung kaya’t nagkakaroon ng matinding alitan na nauuwi sa karahasan.”
A PDC must be called upon to coordinate the various stakeholders, including government agencies tasked to provide the basic needs of the informal setter families (ISFs), to ensure that all forms of aggressions related to demolition and eviction are eliminated or reduced.
“Naniniwala ako na ang matinding ugnayan ng mga otoridad at taumbayan ang sagot sa problemang ito. Dapat isabatas natin ang karapatan ng taumbayan ukol sa demolisyon. Marapat lang din na alamin ng mga otoridad at pamahalaan ang hinaing ng mga maralitang ito upang masagot ang totoong suliranin sa pabahay.”
No to Torture!
On November 10, 2009, RA 9745 was signed into law as the Anti-Torture Act of 2009. It ensures that the “human rights of all persons, including suspects, detainees and prisoners are resepected at all times.” It defines all acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, and penalizes those who engage in such acts.
However, many describe the enactment and implementation of RA 9745 as the reactive, confrontational and litigation-driven side of addressing torure. There is another method that many see as the more effective and forward-looking way since it addresses violations before they occur. This method is called preventive monitoring. It establishes a system of regular visits undertaken by independednt experts in fields relevant to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty to places of detention in order to identify policy, procedural and practice risks that give rise to torture and ill-treatment. Preventive monitoring visits will become more effective if lodged on principles of mutual trust building, confidentiality, collaboration and dialogue between detention authorities, persons deprived of their liberty, the expert visiting body and other relevant authorities.
Preventive monitoring visit is a non-adversarial approach which effectively opens up to public scrutiny the otherwise obscure places of deprivation of liberty, where persons’ well-being depend solely on their jailers. The regular unannounced visit, by itself, establishes a preventive effect, conditioning custodial authorities to work within the bounds of legal procedures. Moreover, the torture risk identification visits and subsequent observations and recommendations of the expert visiting body will result in implementation of measures that bring about policy, procedural and practice reforms in the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty, institutionalizing safeguards for their humane treatment, detention, monitoring work that will not only benefit persons deprived of their liberty, but also improve the working environment. The realization of better and humane places of deprivation of liberty will also benefit social order and government spending in general.
“Ang pagsasabatas at pagbubuo ng National Committee for the Prevention of Torture ang sisiguro na magkakaroon ng patas at makataong pagtrato sa ating mga kababayan na nasaloob ng mga piitan.”
Empowering the People through the Freedom of Information Act
There are provisions in the Philippine 1987 Constitution that are self-executory and that no longer require statutory enactments for its enjoyment; it, however, requires the setting up of reasonable standards and limitations to prevent abuse in its exercise. In spite of its self-executory nature however, government officials in custody of official records and information upon which these constitutional guarantees are asserted, invoke discretion and absence of an enabling law for its implementation. Thus, what could have been a ministerial duty became a discretionary function, thereby defeating the purpose for which the constitutional mandate was enshrined.
It is in this light that Representative Kit Belmonte filed the Freedom of Information Act to advance the long and persistent struggle of the people for genuine reforms, transparency and accountability in governance, and an indispensable element of the right to free speech, expression and people’s initiative.
House Bill 161 is an expression of genuine empowerment for the people to not only hold accountable our government officials in service, but also to meaningfully participate in each and every step in governance. It is through the freedom of information that people from every sector can be equipped with the means to bring their issues to the table for inclusive development programs and policies.
Socialized Housing: Kasiguraduhan sa Kabahayan
Nakatala sa Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 and wastong paggamit at pagpapaunlad sa mga kalupaan sa lungsod. Saklaw nito ang pamamahagi ng mga lupa para sa residential use. Ngunit sa kabila ng pagtatakda ng ganitong batas matapos ang higit dalawang dekada, marami pa ring mga informal settler families ang hindi pa nadarama ang ginhawang ipinapangako ng batas, at higit na nakapangangamba sa mga mamamayan ay ang mismong batas ang nagsisilbing hadlang dahil sa mahigpit na mga requirements na itinatakda nito.
tugunan ang hamon na kinakaharap ng mga informal settler families, pinangunahan ni Representative Kit Belmonte ang pagsulong ng HB 159 upang masusugan ang mas maluwag na prosesong pagdadaanan ng mga benepisyaryo ng gobyerno sa socialized housing. Ang panukalang batas na ito ay naaprubahan na sa House of Representatives at naipasa na sa Senado.
HB 160: In city/near city resettlement
Ang mga maralita sa lungsod ay isa sa mga pinaka-bulnerableng sektor ng ating lipunan. Tulak ng kahirapan sa kanayunan at hila na rin ng mga pagkakataon na makapaghanap-buhay, patuloy nilang hinaharap ang mga mga mabigat na hamon ng siyudad. Inilalaan ng Urban Development Housing Act of 1992 ang pagbibigay ng pabahay para sa mga PIlipinong walang tahanan sa pamamagitan ng pagsasanib ng pwersa ng gobyerno at ng pribadong sektor. Inihain ang House Bill 160 o ang In city – near city resettlement upang mabigyan ng marangal, hindi magastos, at epektibong programa ang ating pamahalaan sa relokasyon ng ating mga kababayang informal settlers. Sa kasalukuyan, ang HB 160, na siyang isa sa iilang mga panukalang batas na bumuo sa HB 5347, ay naaprubahan na sa House of Representatives at hinihintay na lamang ang bersyon ng Senado.