Residents of King Christian St. in Barangay Bagbag, Novaliches, Quezon City on June 15 held a protest to oppose the ongoing illegal demolition in their community. The demolition and land grabbing by an identified Roberto Collantes affected more than 50 individuals. Collantes’ men recently began demolishing the houses using a backhoe.

Residents have been living in the area for almost two decades. In 2019, Collantes introduced himself to the residents and said that he bought the land where the houses stand.

In the protest, residents stressed that Collantes had no basis whatsoever to carry out the demolition and to seize the land. They also said that there is no court order for the eviction. They condemned him for deceiving the residents who “voluntarily” left in exchange for a meager P36,000.

Families, including the elderly and children, joined the protest. They have undergone a lot of hardship to invest in their house and equipment. “Fight for our rights! We do not deserve this inhumane treatment,” the Bagbag Citizens’ Alliance leader said.

They urgently called for the removal of the backhoe in their community. They demand on their right for residence and defense of their lives and livelihood. Youth student activists from Anakbayan-Novaliches joined in their action.

“Anakbayan Novaliches is in solidarity with the fight of the resident of King Christian St and all the urban poor in Quezon City who face the threat of demolition. This is a big scheme to bring anti-people modernization to our society,” the group said.

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Quezon City also expressed support for the struggle of the poor.