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It seems like government policy. The urban slums are thorns in the flesh of the city council. Slums should be fenced like they do in Manila or demolished. The urban poor are relocated to the outskirts of the city, no longer visible and unfortunately far away from income generating opportunities. Many of our ANAK scholars have their home in one of the threatened slum areas in Bacolod, moreover it is the middle of exams...
Next to ANAK's office is an urban slum where many scholars are living. This area has turned into a demolition area. We are passing a long dark corridor and when we enter the are we can only witness the sad remains of a slum that was home to 65 families or more than 400 people, many of them small children....
De city council has provided the evicted families with a little piece of land they can call their own. The majority of the people took this opportunity to never be evicted from their home again. However the relocation site is in the outskirts of the city, far away from income generating opportunities. Those who stayed behind, thought they would be safe, but this week strong men came along and used sledge hammers to demolish the remaining slum dwellings. A few women and children are standing in the shade, appalled as their home has been demolished. The men are gathering the wood to re-use for their new home.
The following days trucks and tricyles come and go. Everything is loaded and brought to the relocation site Abadad. There is no road, electricity, water, it will eventually be installed by the city. For now, our scholars will sleep under the sky in the middle of exams.....
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