(26 Jun 1996) Tagalog/Eng/Nat
A demolition team has begun to pull down the shanties of about 200 families in Manila despite the residents pleading for them to stop.
Inhabitants in the slum area reject government claims they are eyesores for delegates of the forthcoming Asia Pacific Economic Summit in November.
But City Engineers say the demolition has nothing to do with APEC and has in fact long been planned for the safety of the squatter dwellers themselves.
The demolition team arrives and the barricades come down.
Armed with crow bars, they went through a wall of tires and plywood set up by residents of this slum area in Manila.
The squatters here had already been informed of this demolition, but none of them seemed to be ready or willing when it finally happened.
This woman tried to stop the men from touching her shanty, but she was overpowered.
Others moved out peacefully carrying their babies and their belongings.
Some just watched and cried.
SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog)
"We do not need to put up a fight, all we need is a small place to live in because we are poor."
SUPER CAPTION: Linda Tiocson, Squatter Resident
About 500 people living here will be homeless by the end of the day, with nowhere to go.
For this, the squatters are condemning the administration of President Fidel Ramos.
They allege that the clean-up is being done because of the forthcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit which the Philippines will host in November.
SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog)
"It's because we are eyesores for the coming APEC meeting, but what is more important to them (the government)? Getting ready for that meeting or putting their citizens in proper shelters, instead of just evicting us without providing us with alternate shelters."
SUPER CAPTION: Leonardo Papa, Squatter Resident
Last week President Ramos denied this allegation and officials of the Manila City Hall who are supervising the demolition say that today's (Wednesday) operation is a long-overdue implementation of previous plans.
SOUNDBITE: (English/Tagalog)
"It's just a coincidence. It's got nothing to do with APEC. It's part of our Mayor's zero-obstruction drive. We want to give the citizens of Manila....the streets should just be for vehicles and pavements should just be for pedestrians."
SUPER CAPTION: Engineer Melvin Balagot, Manila City Hall Engineering Department
Prior to the demolition, residents got together and prayed, hoping that the power of prayer could still spare them from losing their homes.
They set up barricades with placards and streamers condemning the APEC summit.
The government plans to relocate about 66,000 families living along river banks, roads, and other public places in metropolitan Manila by the end of the year, as part of what they call a beautification drive.
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