Poverty

Philippines Is Top Housing Rights Violator

Poverty, hunger, violent demolitions, and lack of social services and basic utilities continue to plague the urban poor. And things are getting worse. In fact, the Philippines was adjudged by the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Eviction (COHRE) as one of three recipients, together with Nigeria and Greece, of the Housing Rights Violator Award ?for their systematic violation of housing rights and continued failure to abide by their international legal obligations.?

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Davao?s Homeless Face a Bleak 2007


HOUSING HEADACHE. City Hall has problems meeting its housing targets to benefit poor Davaoenos, like these slum dwellers near Bankerohan. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)

2006: Davao Today's Year-End Series

This year, more and more urban-poor dwellers in Davao City cannot be expected to build their own homes, as City Hall and the national government are hard put to raise funds for their housing programs. A more disturbing aspect of the problem, however, is that even if houses were made available to poor Filipinos, they don?t have enough income to pay for these. In the meantime, the demolition of houses in slum areas continues, displacing hundreds of families.

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A Season of Begging

Davao kids asking for Christmas presents

These children roaming the streets of Davao City are a common sight during the holidays, asking strangers for money or Christmas presents. While officials say Davao’s economy has improved over the years, poverty is still common in the city, with thousands of residents — like these children — living in the slums, hardly getting by.

(davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)

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