Counter mapping of Sitio San Roque

“Even if we’re poor, we still have a right to the city. We know we need to pay for decent housing but we also need a government subsidy to help us start over,”, Lourdes Jermias, 48, and one of the residents of Sitio San Roque stated in an interview for the community’s counter mapping project.

Developing a community development plan (CDP) endorsed by laws to preserve urban poor areas is one possibility against the displacement of the local residents, according to architect Jmar Atienza, convenor of the Save San Roque Alliance. The residents, together with architects, geographers, and interior designers from the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines, the joint project was spearheaded by 140 individuals from various professions who had shown an interest in participating in the project.