More than 2,000 urban poor residents from Quezon City, Caloocan City, and Bulacan set up tents and protest camp at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) national office in Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City. Led by the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) and Pinagkaisang Lakas ng Mamamayan (PLM), the protest camp began on April 13 to demand compensation for disaster victims.

According to Kadamay, the DSWD has been inutile and has no clear response to the needs of urban poor communities affected by the successive typhoons Crising, Dante, and Emong. The three typhoons hit the country from July 16 to 24, 2025—nearly a year ago.

“Instead of taking action, the agency led on the victims in the repressive and deliberately sluggish bureaucracy,” the group said. The agency allegedly passed on to the urban poor the technical tasks such as forming the masterlist, which should’ve been the government’s responsibility.

“The DSWD’s heartlessness is blatant,” Kadamay said. The agency reportedly questioned repeatedly the crisis that communities face daily as they continue to sink under new disasters.

Suspected police intelligence agents surveilled the urban poor residents participating in the protest camp on its second day. They took photos of the participants. When Kadamay confronted them, the agents ran and aimed their guns at the protesters.

The group also reported that the Philippine National Police (PNP)-SWAT deployed additional forces to the protest camp to harass the urban poor. At least three police squads were in the area. “PNP, true puppet of the greedy, tormentor of the poor!” the group declared.

The urban poor protest camp at the DSWD will continue. Aside from the call for aid, they condemned the imperialist plunder of the environment. They also demanded accountability from the US-Marcos regime for its criminal neglect of the people during disasters and the climate crisis.

Hundreds of urban poor residents stormed and protested in January at the DSWD for compensation, accountability, and justice. They also mobilized immediately in August 2025 to press these demands.