The Urban Poor
Introduction
First of all, I would like to extend my appreciation to the organizing committee for bringing together in this public forum a panel of speakers who come from the National Capital Region as well as the southern part of the Philippines. This composition should provide a truly national flavor to our discussion.
Secondly, I want to be clear that I do not speak in behalf of all the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and people 's organizations (POs) in my country. We are a very diverse community - to put it mildly - and we do not always agree with each other. In more recent years, however, we have grown in a lot of ways and in many instances learned to transcend our differences to take a common stand on issues and engage in strategic partnerships.
Thirdly, in discussing the Philippine urban poor I have used the guide questions provided by the invitation committee. I will proceed by defining the Philippine urban poor and then discuss its issues as well as my government 's responses to these issues. Towards the end of my talk, I will discuss a proposed agenda of engagement in the present administration.
A Close Look At the Urban Poor Situation
The Philippine urban poor as officially defined by Republic Act 7279 which is also known as the Urban Development and Housing Act or UDHA of 1992 refer to people in urban and urbanizable areas who are without houses and whose income falls within the poverty threshold set by the government.
Additionally, the NGOs and the urban poor themselves use the absence of security of tenure as the principal defining characteristic of the urban poor aside from a state of "shelterlessness" and an income below the poverty threshold. Using this definition, the nationwide urban poor population is estimated at 14 -17 million people or 2-3 million households. The principal explanation for this huge mass of people in the urban areas according to a government agency - the National Economic and Development Authority or NEDA - is
First of all, I would like to extend my appreciation to the organizing committee for bringing together in this public forum a panel of speakers who come from the National Capital Region as well as the southern part of the Philippines. This composition should provide a truly national flavor to our discussion.
Secondly, I want to be clear that I do not speak in behalf of all the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and people 's organizations (POs) in my country. We are a very diverse community - to put it mildly - and we do not always agree with each other. In more recent years, however, we have grown in a lot of ways and in many instances learned to transcend our differences to take a common stand on issues and engage in strategic partnerships.
Thirdly, in discussing the Philippine urban poor I have used the guide questions provided by the invitation committee. I will proceed by defining the Philippine urban poor and then discuss its issues as well as my government 's responses to these issues. Towards the end of my talk, I will discuss a proposed agenda of engagement in the present administration.
A Close Look At the Urban Poor Situation
The Philippine urban poor as officially defined by Republic Act 7279 which is also known as the Urban Development and Housing Act or UDHA of 1992 refer to people in urban and urbanizable areas who are without houses and whose income falls within the poverty threshold set by the government.
Additionally, the NGOs and the urban poor themselves use the absence of security of tenure as the principal defining characteristic of the urban poor aside from a state of "shelterlessness" and an income below the poverty threshold. Using this definition, the nationwide urban poor population is estimated at 14 -17 million people or 2-3 million households. The principal explanation for this huge mass of people in the urban areas according to a government agency - the National Economic and Development Authority or NEDA - is
References: • What We Should Lobby For, PHILSSA and Urban Poor Associates • Housing Situation, Dr. Anna Marie Karaos • Salindiwa, PHILSSA - October 1998 • National Situation, Philip Arnold Tuano • Legal Framework for Urban Poor Organizing, BISIG • The Organizer, Dec. 1998 • Kilos, March 1999 • APEC and People 's Basic Rights To Life, Sr. Marianni Dimaranan