EMPLOYEES, ELDERLY UNITE VS GOLDEN ACRES TRANSFER AND RSCC ABOLITION

Submitted by courage_phil on Fri, 03/20/2009 - 12:22.

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The lolos and
lolas of Golden Acres Home for the
Aged (GA) went out of their shelter today despite their health condition to
protest with the GA and the Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC) employees
against the proposed GA transfer to Tanay, Rizal and RSCC abolition. The plan
to transfer and abolish the two DSWD-run institutions was being pushed by
IMF-WB, the Arroyo administration and Mayor Sonny Belmonte to give way to the
Quezon City Central Business District Project (QC-CBD Project).

 

The GA, which houses more than 227 elderly, and the
RSCC, an orphanage catering infants to toddlers, will be displaced since their
present location at the back of SM North Edsa is targeted for sale to private
real estate developers at a much higher commercial value.

 

The proposed location is just a stone-throw away
from Camp Capinpin wherein military exercises are regularly held. The employees
claimed that not all of their clients may be accommodated in the new facility
in Tanay.

 

The employees also feared that the transfer and
abolition will lead to retrenchments. “Tanay is very far from Manila. Our
meager salaries and benefits will not suffice the high transport cost. It is
natural for the employees to leave their jobs than spend much on transportation.
Sadly, it is not that easy to look for a new job amidst the economic crisis that
our country is currently facing,” said Mon Loza, National President of Social
Welfare Employees Assoc. of the Phils. –DSWD (SWEAP-DSWD).

 

COURAGE, a militant organization of government
employees, condemned the Arroyo government for its plan to sacrifice the jobs
of the employees and the health and security of the marginalized sectors just
to rake in profits from the QC-CBD Project. “It is unimaginable for this
government to relocate the shelter for the elderly to the vicinity of a
military camp. Mamamtay sa nerbiyos ang
mga matatanda! This is a clear manifestation that the present
administration is biased for the interests of big foreign and local
capitalists,” said Ferdie Gaite, National President of COURAGE.

 

The leader also criticized the government for
reasoning that insufficient funds forced them to close the RSCC. “It is easy
for the government to allocate funds for dubious projects such as the Economic
Stimulus but all sorts of reasons are given just to escape its responsibility
to provide social services,” added Gaite.

 

The protesters vowed to launch a series of protest
against the transfer and abolition as well as the plans of the local and
national governments and the private entities to convert the lands for
profit-oriented use.

 

Loza and Gaite agreed that the project which is
part of Arroyo’s privatization, liberalization and deregulation policies will
only benefit an elite circle of bureaucrats and big investors.  #