Saturday, January 26, 2008 Railway folks seek S. Korean envoy's help for relocation
REPRESENTATIVES of the railway community affected by the Northrail-Southrail Linkage Project called on South Korean Ambassador Hong Jong-ki to help improve the relocation of 50,000 evicted families from the project site.
In a brief rally outside the South Korean Embassy in Makati City, about 50 members of Koalisyon ng mga Samahan sa Riles Katimugan (Kosarika), Urban Poor Southville Association, Inc. (Upsai) and Samahan ng mga Apektadong Pamilya sa Riles (Sapar) protested on what they call the government's idle action on their relocation.
To address the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila, the South Korean government promised to support the Philippine government in the Northrail-Southrail Linkage Project in December 2003.
The project, which stretches from Caloocan to Calamba, Laguna, has already relocated at least 20,000 families to Southville Relocation Project in Cabuyao, Laguna but the remaining 30,000 families are still left residing on the tracks.
The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) under Vice President Noli De Castro is in charge of the relocation.
"We want to stress that the affected families are not opposed to the railway project. Our only concern is the observance of the rights of the affected families as enunciated by domestic and international laws," said Ted Añada, deputy coordinator of Upsai.
Añada said the displaced residents are only demanding government assistance on basic services on electricity, water, and housing among others.
He added that the residents are having problems in the proximity of the relocation site from hospital services and prospective workplaces.
He said the group wrote a letter to President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea as regards their grievances but security personnel of the South Korean Embassy prevented the group from delivering the letter to the envoy.
Añada said if the South Korean envoy will remain aloof to their calls, the group will have to send the letter to the president themselves.
Earlier, the South Korean government through its Finance and Economic Ministry has expressed its concerns regarding the relocation of the affected families.
"Our government is well aware of the importance of the issue of relocating local residents in that project, and we emphasize once more that we plan to continually monitor whether it is being implemented according to international standards," said a letter from the South Korean government addressed to Kosarika. (AH/Sunnex)
