Ejercito says Kadamay should pay for Bulacan homes

While he agrees with President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to let Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) have the Bulacan homes they forcibly occupied last month, Senator JV Ejercito said Monday that members of the urban poor group should still pay for the housing units.

In News To Go’s For The Record, Ejercito said it will be “very unfair” if Kadamay members are able to reside in the housing units for free.

“Para sa ’kin kasi wala dapat libre. Unang-una, ginastusan ‘yan ng pamahalaan para may maibigay na pabahay and with intended beneficiaries kaya kinakailangan mabawi ng pamahalaan ang kanilang investment para makapagpagawa pa ng mas marami,” Ejercito said.

“Naging malinaw siya (Duterte) na huli na ‘yan, hindi na dapat maulit and I agree with him. Pero sana, gaya ng nasabi ko during the hearing at tinanong ko yung head ng Kadamay, dapat siguro pagtrabahuhan kung sakasakali gaya ng sabi ko, wala dapat libre,” he added.

Ejercito is the chairman of the Senate committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement, which initiated an inquiry last week over the government’s housing program, following Kadamay’s takeover of housing units in Pandi, Bulacan.

“Even low-salaried government workers...lahat ng kababayan nagbabanat ng buto para may maipundar na bahay at kaya it will be very unfair — even our OFWs — it will be very unfair kung sila po ay bibigyan na lang ng ganun basta-basta ng libre,” Ejercito said.

“It will be very unfair para sa lahat nang nagkakayod, nagbabanat ng buto para magkabahay,” he stressed.

The Senate panel is scheduled to conduct an ocular inspection of the housing projects built by the National Housing Authority (NHA) in Pandi, Bulacan on Tuesday.

The NHA earlier said that five of the total seven socialized housing sites occupied by Kadamay are intended for informal settlers in Metro Manila, while the other two are for the police and military personnel with the lowest three ranks.

Earlier this month, Duterte ordered soldiers to let members of Kadamay have the housing units they occupied in Bulacan. He then promised to provide a better housing project for soldiers and policemen.

“This ruckus in Bulacan, eh parang inagaw ng mga kapwa nating Pilipino na mahirap din. I will look into the matter seriously. And I will ask you soldiers and the policemen, bitawan n’yo na lang ninyo iyan at ibigay na lang natin sa kanila tutal mahirap sila,” Duterte said.

“Huwag na lang natin guluhin ang mga tao diyan kasi lumalaban eh. And their only sin is mahirap sila kagaya natin,” he added. —Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/ALG, GMA News