Rome, Italy 19/02/2014
 |
| Sr. Edita Eslopor of People Surge shows a copy of the demand letter from Yolanda survivors received by Malacanang. |
Commemorating the firsty 100 days since the hurricane Haiyan
the survivors together with their families trooped to Malacanang Palace to
demand immediate help as well as tyo protest the privatization of rehab
projects in Eastern Visayas, among others.
Representatives of People Surge,
an alliance of Yolanda survivors that led a large mobilization in Tacloban last
January, asked to enter the presidential palace to personally deliver a demand
letter signed by more than 17,000 petitioners.
Among the demands of the victims
are:
(1) Provide P40,000 immediate
financial relief to every affected family based on a framework that relief
distribution has been insufficient. This amount could barely cover at least two
months of food and non-food needs of a family of six in the Eastern Visayas
region prior to the typhoon. The real value of this amount is substantially
diminished as a result of the continuous increases in the prices of basic
commodities;
(2) Scrap the ‘No-Build Zone’
policy that enforces outright land grabbing, effective demolition and eviction
of the victims from their homes and livelihood. Provide the survivors with
free, adequate and disaster-resistant housing, sufficient supply of clean water
and provision for electricity;
(3) Sustain the distribution of
relief assistance of food and water to victims both in the urban and rural
communities until such time that their economic lives are relatively stable and
recovered.
People Surge condemned the Aquino
administration’s rehabilitation plans of placing the affected areas under
public-private partnerships, saying that private sector’s participation means
profiteering at the expense of the survivors.
They were initially refused entry
by the Presidential Security Group (PSG). Three reperesentatives from People
Surge were only allowed to enter to deliver the letter after former Kabataan
Rep. Raymond Palatino, Gabriela Secretary-General Joms Salvador and theater
artist and activist Monique Wilson negotiated with the PSG.
Sr. Edita Eslopor, head of the
delegation of survivors who went to Malacanang, said they were offended that
the PSG, and the Aquino administration refused to see them.“We were like criminals being
escorted with policemen inside. They didn’t even want us to enter the gates of
Malacanang if we did not insist that we are just going to file our petition to
Aquino,” said Eslopor, in an interview with Pinoy
Weekly.
Palatino, now spokesperson of
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-National Capital Region, said that authorities
inside Malacanang tried to stop them many times before the Palace have received
their petition letter.
“(Pork barrel scam suspect Janet
Lim) Napoles was allowed inside Malacanang. But the victims of Yolanda had a
hard time entering the gates of the Palace,” observed Palatino. Sr. Edita
Eslopor, head of the delegation of survivors who went to Malacanang, said they
were offended that the PSG, and the Aquino administration refused to see them.
“We were like criminals being
escorted with policemen inside. They didn’t even want us to enter the gates of
Malacanang if we did not insist that we are just going to file our petition to
Aquino,” said Eslopor, in an interview with Pinoy
Weekly.
Palatino, now spokesperson of
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-National Capital Region, said that authorities
inside Malacanang tried to stop them many times before the Palace have received
their petition letter.
“(Pork barrel scam suspect Janet
Lim) Napoles was allowed inside Malacanang. But the victims of Yolanda had a
hard time entering the gates of the Palace,” observed Palatino. [http://pinoyweekly.org/new/2014/02/100-days-after-yolanda-survivors-storm-malacanang-to-demand-immediate-help/]
No comments:
Post a Comment