The promised food and money assistance finally came the day after violence broke out Wednesday when residents of Sitio San Roque in Quezon City staged a protest against the city government’s neglect of them three weeks into the lockdown due to COVID-19.
The evening after the protest, a furious President Duterte went live on TV saying he has ordered the military and the police to “shoot” unruly protesters.
Thursday, under the heat of the late morning sun, people lined up close to each other, ignoring the one-meter “social distancing” rule. Their need was more urgent: not to die of hunger.
Some 100,000 poor families occupy Sition San Roque, a government-owned property that has been sold to a real estate company known for high-end commercial and residential development.
It is part of Barangay Pag-asa, which means Hope.
