Retired dockworker fears displacement over Manila Bridge project

Retired dockworker Rogelio Dioquino grew up in Tondo, Manila, where he built lifelong friendships and worked for years at the Manila North Harbor.

However, the 65-year-old resident now fears that he and his family of five could be evicted from their home as the government pushes forward with major infrastructure projects.

Dioquino lamented that in the nearby Parola area, his friends and former co-workers have already been told to vacate their homes to make way for the construction of the North-South Harbor Bridge.

"Just last week, the Department of Public Works and Highways itself was talking to the residents there, telling them that whether they like it or not, they have to leave because of the North-South Bridge project," he said.

A member of the labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno, Dioquino said authorities have offered no relocation site to affected families, providing only P50,000 in financial assistance.

"If Bongbong Marcos has a P22-billion budget for this ASEAN Summit, yet he has no budget for Parola residents who are being demolished without anywhere to transfer to, receiving only financial assistance — where will the poor of Parola live now without relocation?" the retired dockworker asked in Filipino, referring to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.

Dioquino also pointed out the financial strain workers face when forced to live far from their workplaces and families.

"We all know that living far from work puts us in a very difficult situation because of how high transportation fares are today," he said.

Sympathizing with Parola residents facing eviction — as well as farmers and Indigenous peoples in Capas, Tarlac, who risk displacement from the proposed US-led Pax Silica facility — Dioquino joined fellow protesters in Manila on Sunday to oppose development projects they say harm the poor.