Damayan ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api (DAMPA)

With the support of the Huairou Commission and CORDAID,

LAND AND HOUSING: Grassroots Women’s Perspective

DAMPA

• A grassroots people’s organization

• Ninety-five (95) members urban poor organizations

• Total membership (as of Dec. 2004) of 22,754 urban poor families (est. 136,524 individuals)

• Aims to contribute to providing solutions to basic urban poverty issues, such as …

– Appropriate and affordable housing,

– Demolition and relocation,

– Education and literacy among urban poor children, Income generation and livelihood development,

– Basic services,

– Women and children.

Figures…

Philippine population - 81.1 Million

• Men - 40.8 million • Women - 40.3 million

Daily cost of living:• Philippines - P492.19• NCR – P602.31

(P18,070/mo.)

Informal settlers (NHA) in 2001 ay 1,255,382

Land and Housing• Housing demand – 3.6M

units• Backlog – 1.9M units

(2001)

Why is Housing a “Gender Issue”?

• Concerns of women remain unaddressed in the usual processes aimed at resolving community issues.

• All issues are women’s issues!

• Women should be recognized as the primary actor in community development.

The "Land and Secure Tenure Program” (LSTP)

• Looks at the unique response and specific contribution of women to achieve security of tenure and housing.

• Listen to the voices of “grassroots women”.

• Document “best practices”.

• Share lessons and insights.

• Advocate for new legislation on women.

Goals of the Land and Secure Tenure

Program

• Link basic community issue to “gender and development”.

• Expand existing community development programs to make these responsive.

• Highlight the experiences and roles of women in efforts towards resolving issues of housing and security of tenure.

Examples of best practicesin secure land tenure

1. Resettlement action planning and governance engagement.

2. Community development planning in Phase and Phase-LAD.

3. Direct purchase as a strategy in land and housing.

4. Community mortgage program.

Demolition and Relocation

“Kasiglahan Village 3”

Efective people’s participation in “resettlement development planning” and “effective local governance engagements”

• Demolition because of the Pasig River Rehabilitation.• Participation of the people in the “Housing and

Resettlement Committee” of the “Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission”.

• Drafting of the “Resettlement Action Plan”.• Continuous engagements with local government.• Improving basic services delivery in the relocation areas.

On-site land acquisition

Phase at Phase-LAD Program

Community development planning as a strategy in achieving

security of tenure

• Housing resulting from a “Presidential Proclamation”.• Effective mass organizing as a fundamental foundation of community development.

• Technical training for community development planning for land acquisition.

• Participatory community development planning.

On-site land acquisition

DVNA –KLP Payatas

“Direct purchase” as a strategy to achieve security of housing tenure

• Housing for scavengers in Payatas.• People’s participation in the “Land Acqusition Management Program” (LAMP).

• Land research and negotiation.• Savings mobilization for land acquisition.• Technical training for land acquisition.

On-site land acquisition

NAMALU, Quezon City

The “community mortgage program” as a strategy for

land and housing tenure

•Organizing the poor for land acquisition.•The role of key leaders as community organizers. •Land research and negotiation.•Community development planning•Access to credit.

Good

Governance

Settlement / Community

Development Plan

Basic Sevices infrastructure

Live

lihoo

d

Supp

ort

Access to housing

finance / C

redit

People’s

Organization

Land and Secure Tenure

Savings

Technical, Legal

Competence / know-

howA

fford

ability

Strategies

• Community organizing

• Lingkaging / Networking

• Participatory community development planning

• Savings mobilization

• Active and constructive engagement with government

• Technical training

The Role of Women in Land and Secure Tenure

“Ang kababaihan ang pangunahing kumikilos para sa kasiguraduhan sa palupa at paninirahan!”

“Women are the primary actors in the struggle for land and secure tenure!!!”

The “feminization” of the struggle for land tenure

Positive factors:

Primary care-givers.

More exposed to community problems.

Perceived to be more trust worthy.

Tenacious

Have more “tools” at their disposal (“katawan at luha”)

Negative factors:

Long-standing patriarchal tradition.

Gender-divide.

Extension of care giving to include the community.

Force of circumstance (“Kailangang gawin”)

The “Third Burden”

Jealousy.

Belittling the capacity of women, or being taken for granted.

Hiding “savings” from their husbands.

No opportunities to work and contribute to the family income.

Sharing the family budget with the community.

More exposed to incurring “debts”..

Some specific examples:

The “Third Burden”

Attention is divided between the family and the community.

Threat of being left by their husbands (“excuses given usually revolve around the wife’s supposed incapacity to take care of the family because of too much concern for the community”).

“Sexual favors” (for their husbands) in exchange for the opportunity to work (unpaid) for the community.

Physical abuse and battering when a wife got home late from doing community work.

Some specific examples:

“Why do women continue to work for land and housing, and community

development?”

“satisfaction” and “fulfillment”

Personal commitment to the work!

Expand my experience by working with others.

Sharing of lessons with fellow leaders, the community, and the family.

To ”improve” my personality. My outlook and attitude in life changed!

Hightens my credebility and the respect of the community towards women.

It gives me “Time-out” when I’m “bored” in the house. This is Recreation!

“Realization” that my personal problems are small compared to the community problems.

Women’s concerns in Housing and Land Tenure

Security

• Affordability.• Pricing scheme in the relocation areas (Escalating

payments and Rent payments).• Titles and the process of land titling. • Access to credit for housing / Socialized Housing

Funds.• Access to housing for Older Persons.• Complete implementation of the UDHA (RA7279).• Design of the community.• House designs.• Peace and Security.• Sanitation.

“Challenges” women face in Land Tenure

• Livelihood and income opportunities.• Social support / community support.• Culture that men have “more rights” than women, or the right

of the man to his wife. • Single parenting.• Access to health services.• “Jelousy” of family members, especially for attention.• Continuous training.• Making the community understand the situation of women.• Developing structures and mechanisms in local organization

that are more responsive to the specific situation of women.• Advocacy for laws that support women in their work towards

land tenure security.

Our Advocacy…(Policy recommendations)

Based on the points raised above, the group puts forward the following recommendations;

For Grassroots organization:

Continue and intensify technical/ legal/ and other relevant capability building training, in two areas;

• Organizing and capability building program for the organization.

• Federation building

Engage with local governments for the provision of services.

Our Advocacy…(Policy recommendations)

For Policy /legislation:

Amend the Urban Development and Housing Act or UDHA (RA 7279), specifically to include urban poor people as beneficiaries of government housing project even after the cut- off date of UDHA (1992).

Enact legislation and policies for the provision of basic services in relocation sites and in urban poor communities, as well as other legislation on affordable housing, and those dealing with transparency of project funds.

Enact legislation for social protection for women in the housing sector, such as access to credit, consideration of women’s perspectives in housing design and community planning, and other provisions which incorporate the nine elements.

Our Advocacy…(Policy recommendations)

For Foreign funded projects which affect urban poor housing security:

In regards to government implementation of foreign-funded projects, the government should enable, through appropriate legislation, the;

Provision of funding for direct purchase of land for housing by urban poor organizations.

Monitoring of implementation and adherence to guidelines of foreign funded projects that adversely affect urban poor settlements.

Participation and representation of affected families in monitoring and evaluating the social impact of local and foreign funded projects.

Campaign for transparency in the use of project funds of foreign assisted projects.