DAVAO CITY — Urban poor group Kadamay calls on street dwellers and vendors in Manila to defy orders by authorities to leave their posts for the final week of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.
This as the local government units of Manila, together with national agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, fully implements the clearing of street dwellers in Manila “in the guise of its Modified Conditional Cash Transfer Program, which aims to provide home rental and livelihood assistance to street dwellers”, Kadamay said.
Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman has denied that the operation to clear out the streets is for the Apec leaders meeting. In news reports, Soliman said it is part of DSWD’s year-round program to provide shelter for the homeless.
Earlier, the group called Soliman and Malacañang a “hypocrite for denying the governments’ effort to hide street dwellers from Metro Manila’s thoroughfares in preparation for the APEC”.
“It is very clear to us and to the general public that the Aquino administration is hiding poverty,” said Gloria Arellano, Kadamay national chairperson.
Kadamay said in a statement that ambulant and stationary vendors on the streets leading to the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) were notified to leave their posts for a week during the final week of the APEC summit. The PICC will host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on November 18-19.
This afternoon, Kadamay held a caravan-protest that aimed to reach out to the street dwellers and vendors along Kalaw Avenue and other streets leading to the PICC. Arellano said they informed them about the “ill-effects brought by APEC to the urban poor.” (davaotoday.com)
