- 32 - adults, in contravention of international standards. While the Government has acknowledged the need to redress this situation, efforts to date have been excessively modest. 114. The Committee notes with great concern the situation of Filipino overseas workers, especially women, who often face hardship and humiliation. It notes that significant problems of family disintegration and juvenile delinquency can accompany such massive exportation of labour. 115. The Committee expresses particular concern at the use of criminal-law provisions to deal with problems arising from the inadequacy of housing. It notes in this regard that Presidential Decree (PD) 772 has been used in some cases as a basis for the criminal conviction of squatters and that PD 1818 restricts the right of due process in the case of evictees. While the Committee does not condone the illegal occupation of land or the usurpation of property rights by persons otherwise unable to obtain access to adequate housing, it believes that, in the absence of concerted measures to address these problems, resort should not be had in the first instance to measures of criminal law or to demolition. 116. The Committee has received information from a variety of sources indicating that large-scale forced evictions occur frequently and are estimated to have affected hundreds of thousands of persons since the ratification of the Covenant by the Philippines. One figure presented to the Committee asserted that some 15,000 families were forcibly evicted between June 1992 and August 1994. The scale of forced evictions and the manner in which they are carried out are of concern to the Committee. The Government itself acknowledges that planned forced evictions may affect up to 200,000 families and that the Government has identified only 150,000 relocation sites. If these estimates are correct a very significant number of persons currently threatened with eviction will not receive adequate resettlement. Such a situation would not be compatible with respect for the right to housing. 117. The Committee is unable to accept statements made by the Government to the effect that the Covenant provides no protection from forced eviction. The right to housing cannot be interpreted as being silent in relation to such an issue and the Committee has consistently drawn the attention of other States parties to this matter. 118. While it is not for the Government itself to build or finance the housing units required to satisfy all of the demand in the country, it should make every effort to ensure that a fair share of the resources available is utilized for making low-cost housing available to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable sectors of society, and enabling the private sector to contribute to that endeavour. The Committee notes, however, that existing expenditures appear to benefit higher-income groups at the expense of the poor. 119. The Committee recognizes the Government’s commitment to agrarian reform, as reflected in the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Programme of 1987. It notes, however, that the implementation of the programme suffers as a result of major loopholes, a lack of funding and the lack of implementation measures. It notes that the Government has failed to meet its own targets and that there appears to be a lack of political will to redress the situation. The