Abstract:
As the cliche states; the University of the Philippines is the microcosm of the
Philippine society.
As common Filipinos bear the brunt of poverty, they are forced to settle on
publicly or privately-owned lands; worse, a relatively large number of them are literally
homeless; people who are forced by the circumstances to live in areas perilous for human
settlement. The number of urban poor and informal settlers incessantly increases as the
Philippine population increase — and the vast lands of University of the Philippines in
Diliman Campus is not spared from the influx of informal settlers.
This case study intends to provide quantitative and qualitative research in
accordance to the principles of development research. As such, it aims to reveal the real
condition of the underprivileged urban poor and informal settlers. The study first presents
and then analyzes the current situation of the urban poor and informal settlers in the
national level and then present the similar conditions that the urban poor inside the UP
Diliman community experiences.
In its conclusion, the root cause of their condition is identified and then doable
recommendations are presented to alleviate their dire state and eventually break free
from the bondage of poverty and unjust social structure.