Press Release
July 23, 2019

De Lima hits gov't failure to provide opportunities for homeless families

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has chided the Duterte administration for its failure to provide better and more opportunities for poor families to live in decent houses during its first three years in office.

De Lima, a human rights and social justice champion, said the absence of a comprehensive decent housing program has led millions of urban and rural poor Filipino families to squat in abandoned houses or occupy idle housing sites of the government.

"Kaisa ninyo ako sa inyong sama-samang pagkilos ngayon upang igiit na ang pabahay ay isang batayang karapatan at dapat ay seryosong tinutugunan ng gobyerno," she said in her solidarity message to Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay).

"Sa mahabang panahon, ang kawalan ng kumprehensibo at tuloy-tuloy na programang pabahay ang nagsasadlak sa mga kababayan nating matawag na squatter o informal settler at hindi makaigpaw dahil salat ang oportunidad mula sa gobyerno," she added.

De Lima's solidarity message was read by Kadamay leader Marjorie Estrada during the group's protest action in front of the National Office of the National Housing Authority (NHA) in Quezon City last July 22.

The lady Senator from Bicol lamented how the Duterte administration has responded to public clamors for decent houses by threatening and oppressing urban poor leaders instead of fulfilling its mandate to uphold their rights to a decent shelter.

"Kapag naman nag-organisa at kumilos ang taumbayan at mga aping sektor upang ipaglaban ang mga karapatan, pang-uusig, pananakot, at karahasan ang tugon ng gobyernong ito," she noted.

De Lima, a former justice secretary, expressed support behind Kadamay's quest for decent houses as she encouraged them to press on their right to adequate housing and shelter that has long been denied of them by the government.

"Kaisa ninyo ako sa inyong sama-samang pagkilos ngayon upang igiit na ang pabahay ay isang batayang karapatan at dapat ay seryosong tinutugunan ng gobyerno," she said.

"Hindi po tayo pwedeng magpatinag at isuko ang ating kinikilusang adbokasiya sapagkat bahagi po ito ng mas malaking pakikibaka upang manumbalik ang demokrasya, makamit ang hustisya para sa mga biktima at panagutin ang mga nalasing at umabuso sa kapangyarihan," she added.

Earlier, Kadamay has joined the growing clamor for the immediate release of De Lima, who is unjustly and illegally detained for more than two years now for trumped-up charges filed by the Duterte administration using perjured and coerced witnesses.

"Kadamay pledges its support for the release of Senator Leila de Lima, a consistent critic of the Duterte administration's murderous drug war that has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent urban poor Filipinos," the group said in a statement.

De Lima, for her part, thanked Kadamay for looking into her plight as the most prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime.

"Ang patuloy na persekusyon na dinadanas ko sa ilalim ng binalahurang batas at hustisya ng rehimeng Duterte ay patunay lang kung gaano kalahaga ang usapin sa karapatang pantao at hustisyang panlipunan sa panahon ngayon," she said.

De Lima has maintained her innocence from accusations hurled against her by the Duterte administration based on manufactured evidence and on coerced and perjured witnesses, most of whom are convicted criminals.

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