聲援菲國布拉干省佔領行動,台灣民團呼籲不應鎮壓驅離!

▍發稿團體:移工國際台灣分會(Migrante Taiwan)、台菲友好協會、台灣人權促進會、台灣反迫遷連線、台灣國際勞工協會、桃園市群眾服務協會、人權公約施行監督聯盟

今(20)日包括移工國際台灣分會(Migrante Taiwan)、台菲友好協會、台灣人權促進會、台灣反迫遷連線、台灣國際勞工協會、桃園市群眾服務協會、人權公約施行監督聯盟等多個公民團體,於馬尼拉經濟文化辦事處前,聲援菲律賓公民組織Kadamay的佔領空屋行動,譴責菲律賓政府暴力迫遷的威脅。與會團體並出示Kadamay的團體公開信,希望國際社會能重視該威脅的嚴重性。

菲律賓公民組織KADAMAY從去年八月開始,就不斷向政府要求必須妥善安置遭到迫遷的貧民窟住戶;其間經過五次協談,政府卻寧可讓五萬戶軍警宿舍閒置,而使都市貧民蝸居在私人企業提供、租金與水電昂貴,且周遭缺乏工作機會的安置住宅,讓貧民更加貧窮。逼不得已下,KADAMAY於今年3月8日,發起佔領閒置宿舍的運動,要求政府正視拆遷戶無家可歸的處境;但總統杜特蒂不但拿不出解方,且還對佔領區禁運食物,威脅要武力鎮壓,完全暴露這個政府的無能。

主持人反迫遷連線執行委員徐亦甫指出,除了台灣,香港、義大利羅馬等各地也陸續將有針對該國菲律賓代表處的陳情聲援行動,顯示國際社會對此居住權議題的高度關切。菲律賓政府應正面回應來自各國的呼籲、遵守國際的人權標準。

台權會居住權專員林彥彤表示,台灣社會雖然對佔領空屋的行動相對陌生,但2014年的318運動,相信大家記憶猶新。如同318運動一樣,菲律賓的佔領行動,也是公民社會面對蠻橫的政府,在逼不得已之下所能使出的最後手段。聯合國「兩公約」規定,居住權是基本人權,政府應提供人民棲身之地。然而杜特蒂政府不但做不到這點,還對無家可歸者以暴力相脅,是非常無恥的作法。

移工國際台灣分會、台菲友好協會、台灣國際勞工協會等長期關注菲律賓在台移工與菲律賓議題的組織,以及長期關注人權議題的人權公約施行監督聯盟也批評,杜特蒂上台以來發動以都市貧民為對象、超越法律殘殺無數的「反毒戰爭」,與此次威脅鎮壓這些因拆遷無家可歸而發動佔屋的人民,都是使都市貧民的生活處境、人權條件飽受威脅的錯誤政策。儘管菲律賓有五百億披索的非正規住居基金,卻將其委託由私人企業來提供不合用、難以負擔的安置住宅,也被Kadamay等團體批評是新自由主義的錯誤政策。
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【Support OccupyBulacan! Taiwanese NGOs Petition Duterte to Stop Forced Eviction】

On March 20, several NGOs gathered at Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) to advocate for the OccupyBulacan! Movement organized by the KADAMAY in the Philippines and condemn the Philippines government for threatening to evict the movement participants by brutal force. The campaigning NGOs included Migrant Taiwan, Taiwan Committee for Philippine Concerns, Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Taiwan Alliance of Anti-forced Eviction, Taiwan International Workers' Association, Serve the People Association, and Covenants Watch. They shown the public letter sent by KADAMAY and urge the international society to recognize the gravity of the present situation.

Since August, 2016, KADAMAY (Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap) has petitioned the Philippines government to provide alternative housing for tens of thousands of slum households who had been evicted from their home. However, the government has kept refusing their demand even after five rounds of negotiation, while at the same time leaving vacant of 50 thousands units of dormitory planned for the military and police. The evicted slum dwellers were moved to private lands where employments were unaccessible and the rent, water and electricity were unaffordable. Therefore, KADAMAY organized the OccupyBulacan! Movement on March 8 as a last resort to demand the government to confront the plight situation faced by the evictees. However, Duterte not only had no solution but set an food embargo and threatened to evict the occupiers by extreme force.

Yi-Fu Hsu, the executive member of Taiwan Alliance of Anti-forced Eviction (TAAFE) indicates that not only in Taiwan but other countries like Hong Kong and Italy, NGOs have expressed their support for the occupy movement, showing that the international society are highly concerned with the housing rights issue. Duterte should immediately fulfilling its human rights duty and provide the dwellers with adequate alternative housing.

Housing rights campaigner Yen-Tung Lin from Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) indicates that although the Taiwanese society is relatively unfamiliar with squatting movements, the 318 movement in 2014 in which participants occupy the Legislative Yuan should be a reminder. As the 318 movement, #OccupyBulacan! is a movement representing the last resort of the civil society confronting the imperious government. The Two Covenants of the UN make it clear that the right to housing is one of the basic human rights, and that the government has the duty to provide its citizens with adequate housing. However, the Duterte government not only fails to carry it out, but to shamelessly threaten the poor with extreme force.

Representatives from Migrant Taiwan, Taiwan Committee for Philippine Concerns, Taiwan International Workers' Association, Serve the People Association, and Covenants Watch who have been advocating for the rights of migrant workers and Philippine human rights situations also pointed out that Duterte’s “War on drugs” which has caused thousands of deaths only worsen the living condition of the poor, and this event is just another example of the government’s ignorance of these disadvantaged people. They also point out that, according to KADAMAY, the government has adopted the neoliberal policy to outsource its funds of informal settlements amounting to 50 billion peso to private companies to provide expensive housing that is impractical in solving the poor’s predicament.

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