The Presidential Commission on Urban Poor on Sunday attributed the “peaceful and humane” eviction of informal settlers in Metro Manila as well as the demolition of their illegal structures to its 200 pre-demolition conferences in 2019.
Alvin Feliciano, PCUP chairman and chief executive officer, said the “key” to their success in convincing informal settlers to leave danger zones and to avoid violence to erupt is the conduct of the pre-demolition conference, a must before any eviction.
The conference refers to a consultation among all stakeholders designed to ensure that the provisions of Republic Act 7270 or the Urban Development and Housing Act are strictly complied with.
Since Feliciano’s assumption into office, the PCUP has aimed to lower the incidence of demolitions, particularly among concerned informal settlers not getting any assistance from the government.
“We wanted to ensure that they are protected under the law,” the PCUP chief said.
On the instruction of Feliciano, area coordinators from the Field Operations Division for the National Capital Region have been tasked to conduct a pre-demolition conference before any demolition activity or eviction.
Based on the PCUP data, the agency was able to conduct 46 pre-demolition conferences in Quezon City, followed by 37 consultations in Manila and 29 in Caloocan City.
Affected informal settlers from the cities of Pasay, Pasig, Taguig, Valenzuela, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Marikina, San Juan, Malabon, Makati, Parañaque and Las Piñas, and the municipality of Pateros also went through the pre-demolition conferences.
The Philippine National Police and National Housing Authority are also stakeholders during consultations.
