Erbitterter Kampf gegen die Zerstörung von Arbeiterwohngebieten in den Philippinen

Düsseldorf, 23. April 2012: Aus den Philippinen erreichen uns heute die Nachrichten der Arbeiterinnen und Arbeiter von Defend Jobs Philippines. Am Montag morgen wurde der Massenprotest der Bewohner des Silverio Compound, in Paranaque, im Großstadtgebiet von Manila mit äußerster Brutalität niedergeschlagen. Einer starb durch den Einsatz der Polizei, über 30 sind verhaftet und über 39 schwerst verletzt.  Über 10.000 Menschen beteiligten sich an einer Menschenbarriere, um die Zerstörung des Wohngebietes mit einigen 10.000 Bewohnern zu verhindern.

Dieser Kampf hat eine große Bedeutung für die Arbeiter im Hauptstadtgebiet Manilas. Bis Ende 2013 sollen etwa 10 Prozent aller Menschen die Zerstörung ihrer Behausung erleben zugunsten von Prestige- und Public-Private-Partnership Projekten der internationalen Finanzwelt. Seit Monaten organisieren Volksorganisationen den Massenwiderstand dagegen und konnten auch bereits Demolierungsaktionen verhindern. Gegen den Einsatz von Gewehren, Wasserwerfern, Tränengas, Schlagstöcken konnten sich die Menschen nicht mehr wehren. Defend Jobs Philippines bittet um Solidaritätsaddressen: <defendjobphilippines@yahoo.com>

Wir versuchen Euch noch Fotos dazu zu schicken.

Übersetzung des Textes kommt noch.

WE CONDEMN THE MASSACRE!

WE CONDEMN THE VIOLENCE AND BRUTALITY OF THE AQUINO GOVERNMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF PARANAQUE, PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE

OFFICIAL STATEMENT AND APPEAL OF THE RESIDENTS OF SILVERIO COMPOUND PARAÑAQUE AND KADAMAY PARAÑAQUE

Reference: Shella Bernal, (0922.8563655)

April 23, 2012. We residents of Silverio Compound under the banner of KADAMAY PARANAQUE strongly condemn the massacre of four of our fellow residents and the violent, brutal dispersal to our ranks who collectively oppose the forced eviction and demolition of our community.

We condemn the massacre of four of our fellow residents who valiantly defended our rights for livelihood, decent housing and human rights.  They are our heroes who offer their lives for the best interests of our community and of the poor.  They are Bodging Isaias, 16 years old, Rodman Ortega, 16 years old and Raymond Aquino, 36 years old and Arnel Leonor, 21 years old.  Also, there are more than 30 who are illegally arrested and 39 who are severely injured.  Up to the present, the authorities continue to illegally arrest and forcibly entry and zoning of homes inside our compound.  They also violently evicted and demolished already our public market.

We are outraged to the violence and brutality of the government and policemen.  We have witnessed in the video reports of different media networks that policemen who had arrested the residents, continued to punched and beat them even when the residents were already handcuffed.  We have seen the blatant firing of guns, teargas and water cannons by members of Philippine National Police and SWAt team to us- unarmed residents.  We are only defending our right to livelihood, homes and human rights but why is the government killing us?  The policemen are supposed to serve and protect the people but why send more than 300 policemen and demolition teams to destroy our ranks and the whole community and kill us?

We strongly oppose the massive demolition of our community.  The demolition of our public market is only part of the continued plan to demolish the whole 9.7 hectares of Silverio Compound to give way to the business center of Henry Sy and to wipe out all small vendors in favour of the HYPERMARKET of the Sy family.  We have built this public market for more than 25 years already as our main source of food and livelihood.  The demolition of our public market only means demolition of the livelihood of more than 1000 small vendors and thousands of residents inside the compound.  The local government have already demolished more than 37 establishments in front of our compound on March 7, 2012 and now, they are forcibly evicting our public market.

Our struggle is just and humane because the land in Silverio Compound is allocated for the residents of Silverio Compound and not for Henry Sy and other businessmen.  This is in accordance with the Resolution Ordinance #03-07 (806) series of 2003 of the City of Paranaque; entitled: “An Ordinance authorizing Mayor Joey Marquez to process the expropriation” for the Community Mortgage Program and for the benefit of the residents.  The Paranaque LGU has initially deposited P10.41 million for the expropriation.  What we need is security of our livelihood, housing and not condominium units which is clearly a housing business.  Our compound has everything we want such as concrete houses, schools, church and means of livelihood that we have strived for many years and decades.  The statement of Florencio Bernabe, Mayor of Paranaque City that we are only instigated by some politicians and supporters are not true.

We thank all the people and sectors who unwaveringly support us and give us inspiration to fight. We believe that this fight is not only our fight in Silverio Compound but fight of all Filipino people against land grabbers, big capitalists and anti-people government of Aquino.

We call that Mayor Florencio Bernabe, Philippine National Police Southern Police District, SWAT, DILG, and the government of Aquino be held accountable of the gross violations of human rights, illegal arrest, police and state brutality, blatant firing of guns, teargas and water cannons and the massacre of four (4) of our fellow residents.

We call for the urgent stop of demolition in our community and the massive land grabbing of the lands of Silverio Compound and to other communities all over the Philippines such as North Triangle, Quezon City, Tondo Manila, Welfareville, Mandaluyong, Pangarap Village, Caloocan, Navotas, San Juan, Lawa ng Laguna, Freedom Islands, Paranaque.  This is to give way to the Public Private Partnership Programs of the Aquino Government in partnership with their most favoured capitalists Henry Sy, Lucio Tan, Danding Cojuanco, Razon, Ayala and Zobel.

We will collectively bring this incident to the international community through the Universal Periodic Review Watch Philippines and will file a case to the United Nations against the perpetrators: Government of the Republic of the Philippines, Local Government of Paranaque, DILG and Philippine National Police. 

We appeal to our fellow Paranaqueños and Filipino people, fellow poor, workers, youth, women and church people to help us in exposing the massacre, violence and gross violations of our human rights. We shall work together to defend our rights.

Lastly, we call to all cause oriented groups, organizations and religious groups; to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and Government of the Republic of the Philippines to urgently resume the peace negotiations and forward in resolving issues on economic, social and cultural rights.  The incident today in our community is a clear expression of direct attacks of the Philippine Government to these rights.