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| Source: http://www.rappler.com |
Last Monday while I was having my dinner in front of the TV, the news caught my attention. It was the demolition at Sitio San Roque along Agham Road in Quezon City that happened in the afternoon.
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| http://www.tempo.com.ph |
I was wondering, why would the informal settlers have that strong urge to claim the land that isn’t theirs? Because they grew up on that land? Near to their workplaces? Or simply they just wanted to live free from rentals or taxes? I found all of those especially the third reason unfair for those who owned their lot and paying fees and taxes. I also notice that, some settlers have the guts to have the houses rented which I found ironic ’cause they don’t pay anything yet some pay them.
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| Photo By DENNIS M. SABANGAN/EPA |
It is already crystal clear that they don’t own the land. As a matter of fact they should be thankful that they were able to at least use the land for a long period. Still, when there’s a demolition, they insist that they have the rights over the land. We can also notice that they tend to dirt the land, they throw their trashes anywhere. Also, illegal connection of electricity and water are rampant! My bad, I wonder how much the owners of the line pay for their bills. Tsk. Tsk.
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| Photo By ERIK DE CASTRO/REUTERS |
My point is, why don’t they follow the government’s instruction just for once? They were recommend to go to a move site but they keep on saying that it’s too far from the city or there’s no way they could get a good job or business in there and the such. Gracious, humans have the ability to adapt! So if they could just learn how to accept that some things are not always on their favor, maybe there would be harmony. But then, I don’t generalize all of them. Some of them decided to move, maybe because they thought of their children’s future, they fear for their security, they realized that it’s time for them to make a change and the so on. Which I think, the best way they could do for their situation instead of risking their lives trespassing the land.
On the other hand, I understand why other settlers don’t wanna go to those move sites because the government don’t have any concrete plans for them to at least help them to stand on their own and fear what would happen to them in the future. They may have a plan, but what kind of plan? They will assign a move site then what’s next? That shouldn’t stop there, they must ensure that these people are on the right track to start their lives all over again. Providing them at least temporary jobs (for sure they will lose their current jobs when they leave, losing their jobs will lead to losing their income), seminars on how to start a business of their own, etc. In that way, maybe demolitions will never be that hard for both of the government and the settlers. There’s no need for them to use weapons, just a peaceful talk for both parties.
Give and take process should be present. The government should give what the settlers deserve, settlers on the other hand should follow them.
How can we suppose to solve the more complicated problem of the nation if a problem like this takes years to be resolved?
Karina is not your ordinary supermom. She juggles her time bonding with her three amazing kids while being in the loop on the latest happenings in the tech and lifestyle scene. Follow me on Instagram (@digitalfilipina) regularly visit www.digitalfilipina.com for daily dose of updates not just for moms but for everyone!
