Artex Compound
The Artex Compound is a permanently flooded residential area in Malabon, Philippines. The area has been referred to, often facetiously, as the "Venice of Malabon" or the "Venice of the Philippines" due to its partially submerged structures, makeshift stilt houses, and the use of rowboats for transportation between houses. Formerly a housing compound built for workers of a textile mill, around 200-250 families continue to live within the Artex Compound despite being permanently flooded since 2004. The compound is also the subject of a long-running labor and ownership dispute between the residents and the former owners of the textile mill. It has since become an alternative tourism site frequented by street photographers, students, researchers, journalists, documentarists, and filmmakers. History Located in Barangay Panghulo, the Artex Compound was a rent-free housing project built for the workers of the Artex Development Co., Inc., a textile and thread manufacturing factory that has operated since the 1960s. Most of its 1,200 workers and their families lived in the Artex Compound, some for more than 30 years. Artex was owned by the Typoco family, who were cronies of President Ferdinand Marcos. In 1984, the workers of Artex under the Samahan ng mga Manggagawa sa Artex (Artex Workers Union) or SAMAR went on strike to protest the inhumane working conditions, low wages, and lack of benefits such as 13th month pay, vacation leaves and sick leaves. The workers were only paid per day which was only half of the minimum wage prescribed by law at the time. In response, the management of Artex claimed that the free housing (including free water and electricity) compensated for the low wages the workers were earning. The Artex workers were joined by student-activists and by workers of the nearby Foamtex factory who were also on strike. On July 9, 1984, police attempted to enforce an order by the labor ministry to lift the picket lines, but were met with rocks and darts thrown by the 200 striking workers. When the workers attacked one of the policemen, a backup platoon of government forces opened fire with rifles and pistols. According to Malabon police chief Col. Alfredo Cruz, two workers were killed, 27 were wounded, and 10 police officers were injured. Most of the injured workers refused medical treatment, fearing that police will arrest them. Despite the violent dispersal, the workers refused to leave the compound unless the management met their demands, leading to a standoff that lasted for five years. In May 1989, Artex ceased operations due to the labor strike and the worsening floods in Malabon. The workers remained within the compound after the company's closure, asserting that they are the rightful owners of the properties. Legal battles On February 1, 1990, the Department of Labor and Employment ruled in favor of the workers and ordered Artex to pay for violation of the minimum wage law and other labor standards. After a series of appeals and motions for reconsideration by Artex, the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) issued a final