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Bayan Muna solon wants House probe of Pasig City dispersal


Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate will file a resolution seeking an investigation into the violent dispersal of militant groups and residents of Barangay Sta. Lucia in Pasig City on Thursday.

In her report on Balitanghali  Maki Pulido said on Friday that Zarate had a dialogue with the residents who staged a rally along the East Bank Road Flood way to oppose an impending demolition of their houses.

Residents told Zarate they were concerned the proposed relocation site would be an additional burden on them in that they need to find a new source of income once they are relocated  there.

Zarate said the Duterte administration is not prioritizing housing projects for the poor. The lawmaker cited that in 2016, the budget for housing was P32-billion while in 2017, it was lowered to P8-billion.

Zarate added that the proposed budget for housing projects for 2018 is P2.8-billion.

After the dialogue, Zarate went straight to the Pasay City Police Station to check on the 41 protesters who were arrested. Ten of them were minors.

The protesters may face charges of direct assault, illegal assembly and civil disobedience.

The rally resulted in a violent dispersal after protesters refused to vacate the area.

Policemen used water cannons on them, while protesters responded by lobbing rocks, bottles and even a molotov cocktail at the crowd-dispersal unit.

Cops also clarified that there was no scheduled demolition in the area, that they were simply clearing it of the protesters as they were  already causing  traffic to build up and besides they did not have a permit to be there. —Anna Felicia Bajo/NB/KVD, GMA News

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