You are on page 1of 6

It would be interesting to find out how many security guards are guarding the gated villages in the

Diocese of Novaliches. We have at least 82 villages listed by the AQCHAI (Alliance of Quezon City
Homeowners Associations, Inc.)

It is good for the security business that our gated villages do not coordinate their security concerns.
They provide employment to so many guards. The idea helps in alleviating poverty of 450,000 security
guards and their families. In 2007, the PADPAO rates are P18,000 per guard for the first 8 hours and
P28,000 for 12 hours a month. The high rates are prohibitive to small subdivisions, hence, the guards are
under paid. They accept the jobs because there are no other jobs available. The government employs
private security guards. Another source of kickbacks to bureaucrats. Note: the employment by
government of private armed guards contravenes Constitutional restrictions on accountability,
transparency and Civil Service laws. Private armed guards are paid by tax money of the people. But they
are not individually accountable.

But they perform public functions and powers. Note that BF Homes employs 18 guards, Ferndale 24,
Filinvest I 12, Mapayapa I, II and II - 7 each, and so on. We pay an average of P10,000.00 per guard each
month at an average of 5 guards for 400 villages across Quezon City. We can arrive at an estimate of
where our hard-earned pesos go. Add the fact that we pay taxes to pay the salaries and equipment of
police and soldiers of the Republic and of the cities. To make elections work, we still needed to employ
another 500,000 PPCRV volunteer poll watchers nationwide, resident Ombudsmen in every office and
duplicate do gooders in livelihood assistance, charity, educational and other like aid. Professional
squatters and land syndicates

The poor are victimized further by land syndicates prohibited by Sec. 28, RA 7279 and prosecuted by
PCUP via EO 153 in relation to EO 152. These syndicates include: 1. Acop Tallano, brandishing
OCT 01-4 and TCT 408 and 498 claiming the entire provinces of Bulacan to Quezon, Acopiado claiming
the same lands, by virtue of a Pasay City Court order which was enjoined by the Court of Appeals in
2002, 2.Hermogenes Rodriguez group via 01-4 by virtue of a RTC Iriga court order claiming lands from
Cagayan to Bicol, 3. World War II Veterans Legionnaires Association claiming 112 hectares in
Barangay Silangan and 302 hectares in parts of Holy Spirit and Pasong Tamo citing a Quezon City court
order, 4. Segundino Tamayo who claims it has titles over large portions of Payatas Estate
including Lot 41 that has 711 hectares and covers the NGC and Lots 35 to 46. Tamayos spurious claim is
betrayed by his other claim of ownership of Lots 35 to 46 of the Payatas Estate which in all total 77,000
hectares. In another Plan, he claims 38,200 hectares. But the total area of Quezon City is only 16,112
hectares. 5. Add D Flare or Divinely Fantastic Land Recovery Inc. which claims it owns land from
Bulacan all the way to Quezon Province by virtue of OCT 779 or an area of 1,711,190,000 square meters
led by Charlie Carabana and 3 others. Suckers give as much as P40,000 each for expenses in surveys and
other requirements in view of the total lack of protection from the government. Executive Order 153 or
the National Drive to Suppress and Eradicate Professional Squatting and Squatting Syndicates issued by
PGMA in 2002 to implement RA 7279 Section 28 remains a dead letter law.
The foregoing listed groups may be prosecuted for these offenses. Land titles derived from OCT 333
covering the 2,817 hectares Payatas Estate victimize the poor further. From 4,724 square meters in the
name of Tofemi Realty Corporation, the government, thru the Solicitor General asked the Supreme
Court (G.R. No. 91486) to recognize 529 hectares that include the National Government Center where
government offices such as the Batasan Pambansa sit in September 10, 2003.

The 529 hectares however, can not be located because OCT 333 had no metes and bounds, hence, the
confusion. Even banks and real estate business are affected because of the conflict in land titles. A
Central Bank circular attests to this. Through administrative and judicial reconstitution, spurious titles
were issued by the LRA and Register of Deeds of Quezon City after the fire that gutted the vaults
containing titles in 1988. Today, 11,000 titles have yet to be reconstituted. As a result, poor residents
who were previously authorized to occupy residential lands via the Residential Use Permits by the
Bureau of Forest Management on the theory that the land was still unclassified public forest , are
evicted either by the Mayors UPAO, Task Force Copriss based on RA 7279 Sec. 28 or land syndicates,
lack of building permits or the courts via unlawful detainer, forcible entry or recovery of possession
suits.

The serious question of spurious land titles, OCT 333, RA 9207 and the adverse ramifications on the
urban poor are the subject of advocacy and organizing in district 2 or Payatas Estate in the form of
lobbying in Congress or the Senate with the end in view of having the lands declared public domain for
direct titling by the poor occupants. The problem is existing land titles by absentee holders stand in the
way. The land and its values remain low and undeveloped because of these. The QC governments
Urban Poor Affairs Office serves as middleman or originator by way of facilitating the sale of land to the
poor residents via the Community Mortgage Program (CMP). Viewed from the perspective of the lack of
title to 129 hectares of the NGC East side, according to the NGCAC, what titles are the UPAO selling to
the poor via CMP?

Meantime, residents of adjacent land covering 95 hectares opposed the petition for reconstitution of
title of 129 hectares in favor of the Republic filed by the NGCAC with the QC Regional Trail Court Br. 87.
They say the titles sought to be reconstituted did not exist and the titles being used are spurious, hence,
their interest may adversely be affected. In 2007, Rep. Nanet Daza filed House Bill 574 calling for QC as
the nations capital. This bill has stoked anew fears of residents of National Government Center
respecting their rights over the lands they occupy with fresh designs of government offices to be
relocated in it. Meantime, the poor seek the intervention of the Bishop of Novaliches, the NGCAC, the
NHA and the City Mayor to implement the distribution of residential lands to them and to oust from the
444 hectare NGC, Payatas and Commonwealth and other parts of the diocese , undeserving land
grabbers and syndicates.
The dumpsite in Payatas The dumpsite of 27 hectares which should have closed on February 16, 2006 by
virtue of five years old R.A. 9003 is expected to perpetuate itself. The corrupt system is maintained with
3,000 delivery daily of biodegradable and non-biodegradable solid waste by 250 trucks at P3,800.00 per
trip to the Payatas dump site. Payatas dump receives 1,500 metric tons of waste daily. The contracted
budget used to be P600 Million a year. The Mayor claims this has been reduced. A methane gas project
was conceived and implemented by the PNOC with the DENR and the City to electrify some areas. To
produce methane gas, they need to dump big volumes of biodegradables on it. This indicates that the
dump will not be closed. It will grow every day as 7,000 cu. m. of garbage is dumped on it. There are
reports, however, that the methane gas project will not materialize due to the porous character of the
dumpsite. Methane gas escapes, hence is not viable on a large scale and long term basis.

No solid waste management No genuine solid waste management is obviously operational, save for a
few barangays. Meantime, waste from other cities find their way to the dump in addition to the waste
of Quezon City residents thru various ways. 1.641,471.48 kgs. or 1,641.47 tons of solid waste is dumped
in Payatas per day. (QC figures) The dumpsite generates 2,000 scavengers who derive their livelihood
from the dump. The parishes of Ina ng Lupang Pangako and Divine Providence are right in the center of
the dump.

The scavengers, junk dealers and other groups whose livelihood is derived from the waste live in the
immediate vicinity of about 13 hectares more covered by private land titles with their families and
several thousand others whose houses are demolished by the city to give way to more waste to be
dumped in the expanding site. Staging areas serve as temporary relocation sites. There are no relocation
sites. The dumpsite is dangerous. In 2001, it collapsed after heavy rains killing more than 200 residents
and injuring scores of others. Hundreds of corpses remain buried at sitio Lupang Pangako (Lupang
Pangako Parish), where the landslides occurred. It may collapse any time especially during heavy rains if
coupled with earthquake. It lies in the long fault line from Marikina to Bataan. The base is adobe, hence
soft rock and plastic bags below render the big mountain of garbage liable to slide and collapse. There is
need for disaster relief programs in place consisting of regular drills and rescue exercises. The long term
vision, however, is to close it permanently.

This is possible after the Christians in District 2, the Diocese of Novaliches have stopped the commercial
garbage truck haulers from entering their communities because they have the solid waste management
system in place. In August 20, 2006, 24 houses sitting on several thousand square meter parcel of land
bought by the City from the GSIS are set to be demolished to give way to the expansion of the waste
dump. The affected families oppose the demolition of their houses for lack of relocation sites. The
Payatas Operations Group headed by ret. Col. Roberto Jaymalin, the IPM Corporation, UPAO, PCUP, CHR
and other groups have conducted consultation processes to facilitate the removal of the houses under
the guise of being in a danger zone.
Last year, the first batch of families were removed after which a big hole was dug, waste was dumped
and now a new mountain of garbage was added to the main bigger mountain. Hence, the removal of 24
houses and about 200 more occupying the GSIS, Mondragon, Halili and other sites. The 24 houses have
been removed in 2006 after negotiations and disturbance compensation paid to the settlers. The land
left by them collapsed after it was filled with waste. A fresh batch of houses is set to be removed being
in danger zones, i.e., dangerously beside the mountain of garbage. In January 8, 2008, urban poor
houses were demolished to give way to a school project along Commonwealth Avenue. These after the
economic zone of Commonwealth Avenue was rid of squatters. Diseases in Payatas Pneumonia,,
malnutrition, pulmonary tuberculosis, diarrhea, myocardial infraction, cardiovascular accident
(hypertension), bronco-pneumonia, upper respiratory tract infection, measles afflict the poor in these
areas, not to mention the unsanitary, unhygienic presence of flies, dengue mosquitoes and other insects
(cockroaches) rats that infest the communities.

These ailments are totally unnecessary and could be prevented by an organized and empowered
citizenry who are in control of their lives, their environment and their future. The National Government
Center The National Government Center (NGC) has close to 60,000 families occupying 444 hectares
where government offices are located. It was managed by the NGC Housing project committee. Now by
the NGAC.

President Marcos reserved 444 hectares as National Government Center in March 5, 1979 via
Proclamation No. 1826. Marcos also declare 1,300 hectares of the Payatas Estate as Urban Poor Housing
site via PD 1767 pursuant to an earlier decree No. 1517 in 1978 declaring 244 blighted areas in Metro
Manila as Areas for Priority Devt. And Urban Land Reform Zones. PD 1767 was later to be implemented
by the Local Government of Quezon City by way Ordinance No. 71-series 1988 devoting the same area
for residential, industrial and commercial land . In August 11, 1987, President Cory Aquino issued
Proclamation No. 137 to distribute about 184 hectares to the residents on the West Side of
Commonwealth Avenue.

In April 6, 1994, President Ramos issued Proclamation No. 1169 to distribute residential land to its
residents on the 238 hectares on the East Side. Ramos also issued Payatas 2000 Development Project.
President Estrada issued Proclamation No. 28 in September 1998 for its development. PGMA gave away
papers, contracts to sell or certificates of occupancy masquerading as awarding lots to some residents.
Inspite of all these proclamation, Payatas people remain landless and poor. Administration of the land
distribution program remains in limbo as the NGCAC and the National Housing Authority (NHA) and their
respective NGOs battle over turf and authority over the programs. The Congress passed R.A. 9207 in
March 17, 2003 declaring the Commonwealth Enterprise Zone of 23 hectares of entire NGC is owned by
the Housing Guaranty Corporation (HGC) by virtue of Deeds of Assignment to pay loans contracted by
some agencies of the government.
This further complicated the poors problems of landlessness because the HGC privatizes the land and
its assets such as the Commonwealth Market which was originally intended to benefit the residents. It
was privatized by the Housing and Guaranty Corp. in favor of a certain Mr. Aga of Marikina who pays
only P1.5 million a month although stall holders in the market say the monthly collection is P5 million.
They were reduced to mere lessees of the HGC. The lands in the West side have reportedly been
distributed and titles have been given. Nothing substantial happened.

The residents are still poor. In the next years, after the Commonwealth Avenue shall have been widened
and the boundaries have been clearly fixed, poor squatters structures will be demolished within the
150 meters frontage in the 23 hectares along the avenue. This will create another wave of demolition
and suffering among the poor. There is however, brewing controversy between the NGCAC and the
National Housing Authority. The latter claims it has full authority over the NGC and not the NGCAC. The
NHAs claim is supported by memoranda executed by VP Noli de Castro turning over to the NHA all
major functions and tasks respecting the disposition of the NGC. In September, 2005, the National
Government Center Administrative Council (NGCAC) invoking its authority from RA 9207, filed a petition
before the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City Branch 87 seeking the Reconstitution of a title based on
TCT 10245 issued by the Register of Deeds of Quezon City (allegedly) in the name of Eulogio Rodriguez,
Inc., described as Lot 41-C-3, Psd-5383 now, Lot 41-C-3-A, Psd-30029 with 129 hectares. The Rodriguez
title claims to have been derived from a former title of one Toggle with 244 hectares.

The petition was not signed by the NHA and the DPWH. The NGCAC claims it is tasked to distribute the
129 hectares land to poor landless residents but it has no title to implement the program. This is being
opposed by nearby residents in the East Side of NGC occupying 95 hectares for reasons it would
adversely affect their possession and ownership claims as they believe TCT 10245 in the name of Eulogio
Rodriguez, Inc. derived from a title in the name of Roy Tuggle is spurious, fraudulent and inexistent,
among other reasons.

The Court has invited interested parties to file their opposition and appear in the hearing on July 13,
2006. Groups of residents in the East Side of NGC opposing the petition are filing intervention pleadings.
Several groups have filed opposition in intervention. The court has yet to rule on the application as of
date. In April, 2007, some 4,500 square meters of land were awarded via reconstitution of title to one
Pedro Casimiro in Barangay Commonwealth, portion of the NGC along Commonwealth Avenue occupied
by the Commonwealth Elementary School, by a court, was affirmed on appeal by the Supreme Court.
Scores of squatter residents are poised to be ejected by the City government to give way to a school
project.

Urban Militarization Implementing Executive Order 546 issued by President Arroyo, the AFP deployed 21
soldiers in Barangay Commonwealth, 18 soldiers in Payatas and similar numbers in Batasan Hills, Bagong
Silangan, Holy Spirit, Nagkaisang Nayon, Capri, and Pasong Tamo in Quezon City. A number of soldiers
were also deployed in Bagong Silang, Camarin, Tala, Barracks and Malaria in Caloocan City. The
deployment started in November, 2006. It turned out 26 Barangays in Metro Manila were occupied by
soldiers.

The deployment was protested by Church people led by party lists and JPIC-TFUC. In March 23, 2007,
Bishop Tobias led a Solidarity Mission to Payatas. A dialogue was conducted between the soldiers and
Barangay Capt. Rosario Dadulo. The soldiers left the barangays due to public pressure in May 12, 2007
with a promise to return. The official reason was to give way to the May 14 elections. Bayan Muna and
other party lists filed a petition to remove the soldiers in Metro Manila before the Supreme Court. The
AFP pre-empted any Supreme Court ruling. After the elections in May, 2007, the soldiers returned in
July, 2007 to continue their campaign to rid the Metropolis of centers of recruitment by the NPA or
communist terrorists. In Marikina City, soldiers added public elementary and high schools to their
target areas.

They descended in the schools and lectured the teachers on the communist fronts. When asked why
soldiers did not arrest the evil people, the soldiers replied the organizations are legal, hence, the
members could not be arrested. The teachers are terrorized, however. Human Rights at Risk In April,
2007, the government enacted the anti-terror law, called Human Security Act. Warrantless arrests upon
mere suspicion of being a terrorist or conspirator or member of a proscribed terrorist organization await
victims who may be detained without charges for 3 days and more upon certification by the Human
Rights Commission who is not a judge. Members of peoples organizations declared terrorists are also at
great risk of harassment thru a new crime called proscription in addition to conspiracy to commit
terrorism and extra-ordinary rendition.

You might also like