Another round of silent protest at UP

CEBU, Philippines - Various urban poor groups here in the city will launch another silent protest at the University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu Campus anytime soon.

This is according to city administrator Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez of the Pagtambayayong Foundation who initiated a similar protest last week.

Fernandez said that the silent protest is, again, aimed to express their sentiments and condemnation of UP’s attempt to fence off their lot occupied by the fire victims.

A fire razed houses on UP lot in sitio San Jose, barangay Lahug last November 10 displacing over 60 families or 240 individuals.

UP administration wanted to recover the lot and attempted to fence off the razed area but it did not materialize because of the resistance of the residents and the barangay officials.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña who also sympathized with the fire victims gave Fernandez the full authority to make decisions to help the affected families.

Fernandez initiated the silent protest last Friday outside the UP campus and promised to launch a similar action during the scheduled UP Board of Regents meeting today.

The city administrator, however, learned that the said meeting is cancelled and rescheduled to a later date without a definite reason.

An urban poor group member who joined the silent protest last week thought that UP is afraid that the board of regents may know their “immoral and insensible” approach.

But Fernandez said that UP administration can’t avoid their protest action even if they have to conceal their board of regents meeting in Cebu.

“Si Senador Mar Roxas miyembro man sa board of regents, iya tang pahibaw-on kung kanus-a sila magtigom kay gawas sa silent protest nga atong himoon mopadala pod ta og representative aron ma-take up ning problemaha,” Fernandez disclosed.

Cebu City North District Rep. Raul del Mar in an earlier interview promised to attend the said meeting to ask the members of the board to let the fire victims rebuild their homes.

Like Fernandez, the congressman was also surprised upon learning that the scheduled meeting of the board of regents today is cancelled.

But, still, del Mar will find time to attend the next meeting of the board of regents and would ask UP Dean Enrique Avila of the schedule.

The congressman is also planning to talk to UP president Emerlinda Roman anytime soon to, once and for all, settle the issue.

Del Mar reiterated his stand that a fire can’t be used as reason to throw out informal settlers and bar them from rebuilding their homes.

The congressman is afraid that it might set a precedent that landowners will resort to burning of houses of the illegal occupants as a “simple way” of evicting them. — Elly Bolonos/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)