Squatting. It's More Fun in the Philippines. Or Is it?

I still cannot get over the news days ago about the Php 18,000 subsidy the government is planning to give to each of the more than 19,000 squatter families along the San Juan River, Tullahan River, Manggahan floodway, Maricaban Creek, Pasig River and Esteros Tripa de Gallian, Sunog Apog and Maypajo for their relocation. I found it ridiculous that these illegal settlers, I mean informal settlers will be paid to relocate after occupying spaces that they are NOT supposed to inhabit.

Anti-Squatting Law and Its Subsequent Repeal

The Anti-Squatting Law was instituted by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos. He penalized squatting and other similar acts under PD 772 in 1975. However in 1992, the passage of Lina Law, otherwise known as RA 7279 or Urban Development Housing Act of 1992 (UDHA) imposed a requirement of relocation before eviction. Furthermore in 1997, then President Fidel V. Ramos decriminalized squatting through RA 8368 or the Anti-Squatting Law Repeal Act. Even if the law claims it does not intend to compromise the property rights of legitimate landowners, clearly RA 8368 and the Lina Law gave our professional squatters the upper hand in settling into areas they do not own. 

Singapore and the Lina Law

I tried to understand where the government is coming from. I tried with all patience to comprehend why our hard-earned taxes will be distributed to these families who clog our waterways with their trashes and wastes. After reading about the UDHA, and how such similar law helped Singapore to effectively address the issue of housing and urban development, my opposition to payment for relocation faded in resignation to the fact that indeed, the government has no easier way out to clear these pestering squatters but to pay them out of their shanties.  Still, I reckon that the payment will NOT in any way help the government of even diminishing the number of informal settlers. In fact, in the wake of the news of the Php 18,000 subsidy, the number of informal settlers more than quadrupled to 80,000 families. Whatever worked for Singapore seems like it will NOT work for us. Our informal settlers are way too damn smart.

The Php 18,000 will NOT help

The subsidy will not help, not because it is meager, but ultimately because our informal settlers are way smarter than any of our past governments. The subsidy is meant to help these people in their relocation, and eventual uplift of their living condition through housing projects. The sad reality is that some of them leases or sells the units awarded to them, and inhabits other slum areas where subsidies are impending. The cycle is vicious. We provide housing, the squatters lease or sell them out; the housing are full, but the squatters are back. The cycle makes the burgeoning population of Manila and other urban cities worse. The subsidy attracts them to live in Manila regardless of whether they have a place to stay in.

Strong Political Will

I would NOT be surprised that eventually, our capital city will be filled with more informal settlers unless the government takes on a strong political will to CLEAN UP Metro Manila. This cleaning up process will NOT be possible with the repeal of the Anti-Squatters Law. It will NOT be possible even with the repeal of the Anti-Squatters Law Repeal Act of 1997. Only a strong political will from the national and ALL local government units can we clean up our waterways and city streets. And this is what the Philippines LACK. Our political system is patronage in nature, which thrives in large squatter populations. No politician with common sense would dare move out a potential bailiwick to clear up our waterways and streets. It is a political suicide.

More than Dictatorship Needed

So what in my musings, do I suggest these politicians do?

I suggest that they all swear to have their balls cut off to stop squatting. I am quite certain that if they dare this to all informal settlers, they would be more than happy to oblige to vacate.

On a more serious note, I hate to say but I have no suggestions other than criminalize squatting again. This entails consistent implementation of the Anti-Squatting Law, and stricter monitoring system to penalize professional squatters. Sad to say, even when there was Anti-Squatting Law under the Marcos dictatorship, squatting was NOT quelled. We need more than dictatorship.

Whatever that is greater than dictatorship, I just hope it comes sooner than the need for more billions of subsidies to be wasted.

Manila, the Gates of Hell

I am NOT anti-poor, but I do NOT want Manila to be the gate of hell it seems it is bound to be.

I am anti-subsidy for illegal settlers in the waterways and railways. Inhumane as it may sound, but I would like to put the responsibility of finding and choosing a place to live in on the shoulders of our citizens. Everyone deserves to dwell in a humane living condition, but it is common sense NOT to put ourselves in danger by living in the waterways and railways.

It is NOT fun

Positively, it is NOT fun to be a squatter in the Philippines, or anywhere else for that matter. The government should think of more lasting solutions to alleviate their living conditions. Our professional squatters have lived to become parasites, sucking the subsidies out from our taxes. The subsidy is creating more problems. It is a short-term solution. Our informal settlers deserve more than just being paid to leave. They need houses near their workplace, while others need houses and jobs. Helping them should NOT be one-time big-time. A support system must be in place to build a community of responsible citizens. 

However, I have yet to hear news of housing for squatters that changed their lives forever. If there is such a story, please let us know. This is the piece of story that the government should feed the media with, NOT to make itself popular, but to give the informal settlers the kind of life to hope for. Until we hear a success story of a housing project for our informal settlers, then it is indeed NOT fun squatting in the Philippines.