Kalinga Intramuros to restore the soul of the nation

In the heart of Manila, kalesas still roam the cobblestone streets of Intramuros. Across San Agustin Church, the oldest church in the Philippines, is the Plaza San Luis Complex, which features Philippine-Hispanic architecture. Time stands still inside Casa Manila, a museum showcasing the affluent lifestyle at the turn of the 20th century.

 

Intramuros, which was honored by King Philip II with the title Insigne y Siempre Leal Ciudad (Distinguished and Ever Loyal City), is a window to our nation's past. 

 

Once the center of Spain's empire in the East, Intramuros was a bustling, vibrant city. Today, it is valued as a national heritage, but problems of overcrowding and deterioration remain a huge obstacle for the Intramuros Administration, whose mandate is to restore and develop Intramuros as a historic site and major tourist attraction.

 

Despite efforts to preserve the Walled City, more than 3,400 informal settlers are currently occupying public and private lands in the area.

 

"This is supposed to be the soul of the Filipino. Pero diyan mo makikita ‘yung maraming informal settlers living under subhuman conditions," said Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto during a press conference on October 3.

 

Through the Kalinga Intramuros campaign, Gawad Kalinga and the Intramuros Administration plan to facilitate the relocation of the 3,400 informal settler families to a GK village in Trece Martires.

 

"To me, it's a crime that we have neglected to address this problem. Manila now is a city bursting with informal settlers simply because we failed to address this for decades," Meloto said, adding that the first thing that needs to be done is to restore human dignity. "Mahirap ang nabubuhay na tinatawag na squatter. Kapag ang tao nakatira sa squatters area, lumaki siya sa kulungan ng hayop, nag-iisip siya at gumagalaw na hayop," Meloto said.

 

Meloto explained that restoring human dignity, especially for the men, will give them a sense of self-worth, enable them to learn the value of work, and have pride in one's community. 

 

"Kaya ang mga GK homes are brightly colored with landscaped gardens. Because we want the poorest Filipinos to wake up every day, saying to himself, 'I'm no longer an animal, I'm a human being.' Kasi ‘pag tao na siya, maghahanap na ‘yan ng hanapbuhay, maghahanap na ‘yan ng trabaho," he said.

 

Meloto observed that while most of the poverty interventions focus on women, it's the men who are the biggest problem. "What we hope is that when we relocate them outside of the city that we can also motivate the men to start to look for work," he said, adding that in some Gawad Kalinga sites, the communities are encouraged to go back to agriculture.

 

"To me it's very scandalous that a country with one of the richest lands in Asia should claim that 20 percent of the people go hungry," he said.

 

Intramuros Administrator Jose Capistrano said the relocation will begin with 100 families who are currently occupying land across the National Commission on Culture and the Arts along General Luna, a main street of Intramuros. 

 

"Once the site is cleared, we intend to put up a three-storey building and in this building we intend to put a hostel and dormitory. Just across the street is the eight-storey building of the NCCA, and they sponsor a lot of seminars and fora and invite delegates from all over the Philippines, so they need temporary housing accommodation," he said.

 

Capistrano said that part of the plan is for the breadwinners to be able to come back to Intramuros during the week. "We will have dormitories for them so that during the workweek they are here in Intramuros and on weekends they go back to their families. We intend to have a shuttle service for that. I wish there would be some available space for some of them to remain here but right now it's just not available," he said. 

 

At Trece Martires, the 11-hectare GK Village will be built on land donated by Cityland Development Corporation. There will be pocket parks, an amphitheater, community center, farm lots, as well as a school and commercial area.

 

So far, Kalinga Intramuros has received three pledges of P3 million each, the amount needed for a village for 20-25 families.

 

These pledges from the CBCP-Calungsod Commission, GK All85, and UST Medicine Class 1970 will be used for the first 100 families, but an additional village is needed. 

 

Raising funds

 

To generate additional resources, Gawad Kalinga is holding its third GK Hope Ball, where there will be a fundraising auction and a fashion show led by Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines head JC Buendia, which will feature Kalinga Intramuros champions. 

 

The Hope Ball "gathers the country's elite to respond to the need to address the pervasive problem of poverty and work towards a better Philippines," a press release said.

 

"We have redefined what it means to be sosyal. Social innovation, social entrepreneurship, social enterprise naging sosyal. Ang marami sa mga dating nagyayabang ng mga malalaking alahas nila, binibigay na nila ‘yung mga alahas nila para ‘yung mahihirap makakain," Meloto said.

 

The first two incarnations of the Hope Ball were focused on the Sulu mission, creating support for the Tausug community in conflict-ridden Panamao. Built with the proceeds of the first Hope Ball in 2012, the Hope Panamao GK Village gave the town's victims 31 new homes. After the second Hope Ball, proceeds of P6 million were used for a new GK village, as well as the development of Sulu's local industries.

 

This time, the Hope Ball shifts its focus to Intramuros, aiming to build advocacy, generate resources for Kalinga Intramuros villages, and generate support for sustainable tourism in the Walled City.

 

"Ang Intramuros ay napakahalaga because it is the window to our soul. And it shows also our neglect of our heritage... if we can restore Intramuros, then in a way we become whole as a people and as a nation," Meloto said.

 

Kalinga Intramuros hopes to have the groundbreaking in Trece Martires by November 2012, and the first turnover of homes by June 2013.

 

For more information, email gkhopeball@gk1world.com. –KG, GMA News