The Presidential Commission on Urban Poor on Sunday said it will file charges against local government officials who approved illegal demolitions and evictions.
PCUP chairman Alvin Feliciano said local officials who violate the Urban Development and Housing Act will be brought to court within the first quarter of the year.
Feliciano said the commission is firm in its position to prevent any demolitions and evictions, especially in cases where the concerned local government unit could not provide complete assistance to the affected informal settler families.
Section 29 of UDHA states that the local government, in coordination with the National Housing Authority, shall provide relocation or resettlement sites with basic services and facilities and access to employment and livelihood opportunities sufficient to meet the basic needs of the affected families.
Last year, PCUP held 200 pre-demolition conferences to convince informal settlers to leave danger zones and to avoid violence.
“We wanted to ensure that they [informal settlers] are protected under the law,” Feliciano said.
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.
The Philippine National Police and National Housing Authority were also stakeholders in the pre-demolition consultations.