Kadamay members have occupied 5,918 units in idle housing projects and plans to expand the movement. (Photo courtesy of KADAMAY)
Two senators warned of anarchy following President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 decision to give to members of Kadamay, an urban poor group, the government housing units they had been occupying in Bulacan province.
Sen. Richard Gordon, a member of the Senate majority bloc, said he was saddened by the decision as it appeared that the president might be falling on his own sword.
鈥淜adamay may be poor, but that鈥檚 not an excuse for them to take other people鈥檚 property,鈥� Gordon said in a phone patch interview with Senate reporters on Wednesday.
鈥淚t sets a bad precedent that people can take over somebody else鈥檚 home,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e have enough problems already concerning informal settlers. And two, it sows us anarchy.鈥�
Duterte鈥檚 statement not to bother the people occupying the housing projects because they were fighting back did not also sit well with Gordon.
鈥淚t makes him look weak and that鈥檚 not the Duterte I know,鈥� the senator said.
In a speech on Tuesday, during the celebration of the Army鈥檚 120th anniversary in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, Duterte announced that he would allow Kadamay to occupy the houses and at the same time promised better shelter for police and the military personnel, who were the intended beneficiaries of the projects in Bulacan.
鈥淗uwag na natin guluhin 鈥檡ung mga tao diyan kasi lumalaban eh,鈥� Duterte said. 鈥淭heir only sin is just really mahirap din sila kagaya natin. So bigyan ko kayo ng mas maganda, mas konting mahal, mas komportable at mas malaki,鈥�
(鈥淟et鈥檚 not bother聽the people there because they鈥檙e fighting back. Their only sin is just really they鈥檙e just poor like us. So I鈥檒l just give you shelter that would be more beautiful, a bit more expesnive, more comfortable, and bigger.鈥�)
搁贰础顿:听Duterte vows to give housing units in Bulacan to Kadamay
Gordon welcomed the president鈥檚 promise to the police and the military. But he stressed that nobody has the right to take over other people鈥檚 property without due process.
鈥淎ng mga bahay na ito nakalaan para sa mga taong dapat manirahan diyan, 鈥� he said. 鈥淎t kung kukunin na lamang, dadaanin na lang sa strength ng numbers, nakakatakot yan eh. That鈥檚 what you might call anarchy.鈥�
(鈥淭he houses there are reserved for the people who should be living there. And if you just get it through the strength of numbers, that鈥檚 scary. That鈥檚 what you might call anarchy.鈥�)
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who is also part of the Senate majority bloc, said allowing Kadamay to occupy the housing units was a 鈥減otential invitation to utter disregard to the rule of law, if not chaos and anarchy.鈥�
鈥淎 system must be put in place for an orderly turn-over of unoccupied housing units to the homeless among our countrymen if the government is already committed to giving out the units to the Kadamay group,鈥� Lacson said in a text message.
鈥淚f not attended to properly, my concern is, if this move is replicated all over the country and has become uncontrollable, we have a big problem,鈥� he added. /atm
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