Comelec asked to ban demolitions during election period

A group of urban poor Filipinos on Monday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ban the implementation of forced evictions and demolitions during the election period to supposedly prevent the disenfranchisement of thousands of voters in May. In a letter to Comelec chairman Jose Melo, residents of Cabuyao, Laguna; Paco, Manila; Manggahan Floodway, Pasig City;and North Bay Boulevard South, Navotas appealed to the poll body to stop government agencies and officials from implementing relocation projects during the election period which will run from January 10 to June 9. "We make this urgent appeal to the Comelec to intervene and to take action so we qualified voters can freely exercise our constitutional right to vote by keeping us close to our voting precincts and allow us to stay and remain in our present communities and residences," read the letter. A person's right to vote is guaranteed under Section 1, Article V of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which reads: "Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who are at least eighteen years of age, and who shall have resided in the Philippines for at least one year, and in the place wherein they propose to vote, for at least six months immediately preceding the election. No literacy, property, or other substantive requirement shall be imposed on the exercise of suffrage." But because of the relocation and demolition projects, the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), Community Organizers Multiversity (COM), and Community Organization of the Philippine Enterprise Foundation (COPE) said that about 804,562 urban poor voters are in danger of being disenfranchised. "Forced evictions and relocating informal settlers to distant places in time of election is unlawful as they will surely disenfranchise members of the urban poor. Hence, we urge Comelec, the most powerful government agency during elections to ban demolitions and distant relocation," said UPA legal counsel Bienvenido Salinas in a separate statement. The urban poor communities said that 60,000 residents along the Manggahan Floodway are being threatened with forced eviction and demolition prior to the May elections. It said that with an average of two voters per family, 120,000 qualified voters will be deprived of their constitutional right to vote in that area alone. "We will be relocated to Calauan, Laguna which will require us to take a three-hour bus ride one way, or a total of six hours for the whole trip, let alone the travel and the food expenses which we could hardly afford," they said in their appeal. UPA noted that from January to March this year, about 3,043 families have already been evicted. It said it was a great contrast to the 1998 elections when there was a decrease of 107 percent in families who were evicted and 366 percent in the 2004 elections. "It is obvious that politicians once considered the urban poor as vote banks but now it is different, because rampant demolition is witnessed during this presidential election year," said UPA deputy coordinator Teodoro Añana. For his part, poll body Law Department head Ferdinand Rafanan told GMANews.TV that it would be great if the Comelec en banc can rule on the matter. "Parang may link nga naman sa kanilang (There does seem to be a link to their) right to vote," he said. But in a separate interview, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said that the Comelec is not the right venue for the request. He said that the groups should be asking the Metro Manila Development Authority and local government units to about stoppigng the relocation and demolition projects. Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal added that these residents can still vote by coming to their original precincts on election day. "Why can't they vote?" he told reporters. — Kimberly Tan/RSJ, GMANews.TV