The threat of eviction of people residing along the water ways of Metro Manila challenges the urban poor’s capacity to be proactive. “If we don’t act as a group, who will help us?”, they say.

Since October 9, 2009, the day Myrna Porcare and her 18-year old son, Jimyr, was murdered while defending her organization’s housing right at the very place where she lived, ULAP as a Federation has been fighting eviction here and there. The organization has not missed any possible arena where it could bring up its advocacy for decent housing in the city.

Yesterday, more than 200 urban poor from the Manggahan Floodway area, North Fairview, Binondo and Doña Imelda went to Congress to be present at the Privilege Speech of Party List Representative Leandro Montemayor. The speech aimed  at surfacing the present plight of the poor along the water ways of Metro Manila in order that the concerned committee in the House of Representatives come up with an Inquiry on the conduct of evictions in Metro Manila.

The people were at the gate of Congress at 3:30 pm but were not allowed to enter en masse. They entered by batch of 25. At the main door of Congress going to the Gallery, there was again an actual head count before the bags were checked through the X-ray machine.

There were three speeches during the privilege hour - the one on the need to provide assistance to private schools, the speech from the congressman from Maguindanao (Cong. Datumanong) questioning the constitutionality of the recent declaration of Martial Law in Maguindanao in the aftermath of the Maguindanao Massacre and the speech of Cong. Montemayor regarding the recent plight of the urban poor in Metro Manila.

After Cong. Montemayor, there were interpolations from Cong. Osabel and Liza Masa.The interpolations led to the referral of the urban poor’s issue to the Committee on Housing.  The Privilege Speech ended  at past 9:00 pm. The people were hungry but hopeful.