Poor used as ‘scapegoats’ in calamities out of greed

EDITORIAL

Suddenly, the terms “proactive” and “preventive” are in style. We are referring to government officials who use these words now to describe what they are doing in their turf in relation to calamities after the wrath of typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.”

No beef with that. But then, they have to show action for what they utter. There are local government officials who are really doing their best but there are also those who are trying to make more money out of the misery of the victims.

The latter have once again blamed poor families for the unprecedented flooding and landslides (which killed more than 300 people) as a result of the storms. The government has prohibited these poor families from returning to their homes from the evacuation centers. They may have reason for that but then, Housing officials talk publicly about evicting all 80,000 families and relocating them outside the city, far from jobs and basic services.

Now, non-government organizations are condemning government for saying the poor caused floods by blocking the esteros and rivers with their homes when there are other explanations for the flooding. Architects, geologists and urban planners reminded officials that the cause of floods was much more complex:

According to NGOs, Cabinet and local officials have connived with developers in violating sensible planning rules; deforested and quarried mountains around Metro Manila. There is climate change, but guilty, too, are the city officials who ignored the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, which mandates each city to set aside land for social housing. If this had been done 17 years ago, there would be fewer families on the riverside and esteros.

The poor maybe partially to blame, but there is a huge difference between the poor and the officials conniving with developers. The latter violate the law for gain, motivated by greed. The poor live on the shabby waterways because they have to. They are there to survive and would gladly move to a relocation center in the city where they could go back and forth to their job sites. They are not necessarily opposed to relocation; but they are opposed to evictions and relocation that are inhuman and violate Constitution and international covenants and laws.

The government can establish an independent board of inquiry to look into the basic causes of the flooding to determine main violators of the common good. The study can examine also the possibilities of in-city relocation for the poor on the waterways.

Let not the poor be made the scapegoat for the greed of the wealthy and powerful particularly those in government, some of whom have been reported to have taken supplies like food and clothing for the victims.