AS if it were not enough that Dan Brown pointed to them as one of the reasons Manila is the “gates of hell,” squatters (well, okay, informal settlers) have been blamed for the floods in the metropolis because their shanties and trash are clogging up the esteros and waterways.
For this reason, the MMDA and the DPWH have vowed to demolish their hovels by the end of the year. Also being considered is P18,000 in cash to be given by the government to each family, as an incentive for moving “somewhere” while relocation sites are sought.
What is left unsaid is that the money will not last, and that “somewhere” will likely be at another canal or under another bridge. Talk about solving one problem by creating another.
Because squatters are being coddled by local politicians for their votes, one proposal is to make it mandatory for them to cast their ballots in their respective home provinces, rather than in the communities where they are currently residing.
It’s a clever idea. What is left unsaid is that, with this rich ballot pool gone, local officials will have no compunction about bulldozing their shacks without worrying about relocating the displaced families.
What is also left unsaid in the flurry of proffered solutions to the problem of flooding is that squatters’ shanties are just manifestations of the bigger problem of poverty, crime, unemployment, ignorance, hopelessness and helplessness that plague our society, not to mention the utter waste of human resources that are their ultimate consequence.
Unfortunately, solving the problem caused by squatters cannot be approached from a strictly public works perspective, which is what DPWH would be mainly concerned with. Not even from a strictly relocation perspective, a concern of MMDA. Nor from a social welfare perspective alone, if by that is meant giving the displaced families some cash to tide them over.
In fact, the problem of slums and urban blight, to which may be traced a number of the government’s headaches – flooding being only one of them – cannot be solved by the government alone.
Private sector resources are enormous and largely untapped. The most affected by squatter-related floods and the consequences of urban blight are private businesses and families, rich and poor. Yet, even ostensibly enlightened individuals tend to place the burden entirely on the shoulders of government.
Indeed, the ideal situation is for both government and the private sector to work hand in hand to address the overarching problem under which all the other problems fester. But such a multi-sectoral gathering of do-gooders will need to be led by someone who has both management and operational skills, is a visionary and a bona fide idealist, someone who can light a fire in people’s hearts, and who has a track record in solving urban blight and applying a multi-faceted approach to the problem of poverty.
Just as importantly: someone who has no self-serving economic agenda and no ambition of becoming president.
The only person who comes to mind is Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga. I’m surprised that he has not been harnessed by the Aquino government.
As far as I can tell, only Tony Meloto and his Gawad Kalinga brigade have applied a comprehensive approach to the problem of slums and urban blight, building not just decent shelters but livable communities, providing skills training and instituting programs for self-sufficiency.
GK has also been the most effective in tapping both local government and private sector resources in the Philippines, as well as donors and volunteers overseas.
If I didn’t know Tony personally and if I hadn’t met his fellow workers and volunteers and seen the results of their labors, I would probably dismiss GK as a pipe dream, a pie in the sky. Too idealistic to be real.
But I am aware that GK has been transforming slums into clean and self-sustaining communities. And, more importantly, it has been transforming former derelicts into families and individuals who are regaining their self-respect and are developing their capacity to hope and fend for themselves.
As far as I can tell, GK has been the recipient of more donations and grants from private individuals, civic and professional organizations, business corporations, overseas foundations and even governments, than any other NGO in the country.
And I have seen with my own eyes how gung-ho and committed GK volunteers are, many of them overseas Filipinos. I don’t think I have ever seen a group of donors and volunteers so highly motivated by any organization – or by any single individual – whether private or public.
The kind of financial support being given to GK by some of the biggest multi-national corporations operating in the Philippines would be unthinkable if the recipient were a government agency. And the outpouring of donations from overseas Filipinos would be impossible for any Philippine government agency to generate.
And to what can one attribute all of these? Trust.
Tony Meloto and GK are trusted by those whose time, talent and treasures they tap. This trust is an ingredient that Noynoy Aquino, for all of the positive perceptions he has enjoyed since assuming office, needs to muster if he wants his poverty-alleviation programs to gain multi-sectoral support.
While the topic of the day appears to be the threat of flooding in the coming months, relocating the squatters from esteros and bridges should be pursued as an opportunity to address the other problems that poverty and unemployment breed.
While we should applaud the vow of Secretary Singson and MMDA chairman Tolentino to partially solve the flooding problem by the end of the year, the situation deserves a reality check.
This reminds me of the two little kids who announced that they were getting married.
“What will you do about money?” asked their parents, humoring them.
“We figure, with my allowance and hers, we can get by,” came the reply.
“And what about babies?”
“We figure, every time she lays an egg, we’ll just step on it.”
Some folks in civil society, media, the Church and government are probably wishing that solving the problem of squatters, along with the floods they are said to cause, were as easy as crushing them underfoot.
The trouble is, squatters aren’t eggs. They happen to be human beings.
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