Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings of Peace w/ Justice!

Our Kariton Empowerment Center (NGO) was established on July 7, 2007 by some staff, faculty and alumnae of the Institute for Formation and Religious Studies, a school of the Major Superiors of the Philippines. KEC aims at the rehabilitation and empowerment of street families by helping them to organize into a self-help group, and enable them to address more creatively and responsibly their situation. As you may know, our name refers to the wooden cart that street families push around by day to gather recyclable waste and that by night serves them as shelter.

For the first six months we visited the streets after work and engaged in contact-making and data gathering in order for us to know how to best help these street families. By the end of 2007, we were then able to rent a place and start to develop our programs which include:

●      organizing an ‘Association for Street Families’ committed to the plights of the families living in the streets;

●      providing education, skills training, leadership trainings, Gospel values formation, and socio-economic-political awareness for the families;

●      facilitating livelihood projects among the street families;a

●      organizing exposures and advocacy programs;

●      providing following services: counseling, medical services, legal aid, and tutoring classes for children;

●      engaging in national/international networking, and providing training to our volunteers

For the past three months, we have witnessed how the so-called ‘rescue operation’ of the government had been affecting the street families, particularly in the area of Quezon City. The government claims that this operation is called Rescue Operation to the street dwellers, which is said to be under the “Sagip Kalinga” program of Department of Social Welfare and Development.

But as we have witnessed the said Government Operation to the Street Dwellers and based from the stories of some of the victims of the said operation, we can conclude that the operation is not helping them neither do they experience that they are truly being rescued. The present procedure of rescue operation with the street dwellers, as observed, has violated the dignity of street dwellers as human persons because of the following instances:

a.       They were taken while they were sleeping and were taken without prior notice,
dialogue have never been conducted between the operation team and the families.

b.       They were treated with discrimination, they were threatened and humiliated.

c.        Their properties were taken without proper documentation.

d.       They were forcibly loaded in a jam-packed vehicle.

e.        Brought and mixed with mentally ill-patients.

f.        Children and women who are considered most vulnerable are also taken.

From these aforementioned experiences, we are inviting you to attend the “Kariton Experience – A forum on the Struggle of Families Living in the Streets” on September 05 , 2011 at 1:00 – 5:00 PM in the Institute of Formation and Religious Studies (IFRS) Acacia St., Cubao, Quezon City. Please see other attachment for the schedule of the said activity.

Attached also is our statement against the rescue operation of the government to the street families and the experience of one of the victims for your review and consideration. Should you have any questions or clarifications pertaining to this letter and invitation, please do not hesitate to contact me through the numbers provided below.

I hope you are one with us in this advocacy.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Jerel Tapiador Tabong
Program Coordinator
jereltabong@yahoo.com.ph
+639213152506

Related articles

• [Urgent Action] A farmer was killed and his son was seriously wounded as a result of an alleged strafing by members of the Philippine Army (PA)- www.tfdp.net (hronlineph.wordpress.com)
• [Press Release] Filipino-Chinese Community Donates Books and School Supplies To Mindanao Amid Peace Problem There (hronlineph.wordpress.com)
• [Featured Story] Political Prisoner Longs for Freedom, The Story of Juanito Itaas (Part 1)- TFDP (hronlineph.wordpress.com)
• tsinelas (developmentjournalism.wordpress.com)
• Facebook advocacy gains ground: Armand Nocum’s Kristiyano-Islam Peace Library (KRIS) (blogherald.com)
• [Press Release] Claretian Priest, Kris Literacy Group Call for Humane Treatment of Relocated Informal Settlers – Kristiyano-Islam Peace Library (hronlineph.wordpress.com)
• We blog for human rights! (hronlineph.wordpress.com)
• [Urgent Action]( Philippines ) A tribal leader of the Agta indigenous tribe shot dead, and tribal community members continue to be harassed in Dinalungan, Aurora Province (hronlineph.wordpress.com)
• [In the news] Church sues Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on slays – INQUIRER.net (hronlineph.wordpress.com)
• [Announcement] AFAD JOB OPENING (Short Term Project Assistant for August 16 – December 15, 2011) (hronlineph.wordpress.com)