Ganito kami sa makati: examining displacement vis-à-vis the capacity and vulnerability of indigent displaced women in Makati Homeville, Calauan, Laguna.

Abstract

Makati Homeville, popularly known as “Binay Compound”, is a resettlement project of the city government of Makati for the informal settler families living in “high risk” and government owned areas in Makati. Informal settlers from these barangays were evicted in order to give way to the establishment of Makati Friendship Suites, a series of hotels. It has been revealed through mass media that the welfare of the displaced is not stable and secure; the upsetting situation of the relocatees and even cases of prostitution were exposed. The researcher recognized that this is not an isolated case, thus, it would be critical to examine displacement vis-à-vis the capacities and vulnerabilities of indigent displaced women and answer the question — how does relocation impinge on the wellbeing of women; through looking into factors like economic status, access to services, physical environment and experiences, and emotional contentment. It would gather data from surveys with indigent displaced women as participants and interviews with relocation authorities and necessary organizations. In order to fully capture the experiences and asses the condition of these women, intersectional analysis will be used; wherein, social categories to which they belong intersect to create a unique social location, and then it is the intersection which is of concern of the analysis. Nevertheless, this research can be a foundation to the assessment of the government’s discriminatory policies towards the urban poor. It would also serve as a recommendation to planners regarding addressing the specific and special needs of women in relocation.