32 families ask City Hall: Help delay demolition

CEBU, Philippines - Residents of Barangay Luz who are facing demolition trooped to the City Hall yesterday to ask Mayor Michael Rama’s intervention to delay the execution of the demolition order.

Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor Chief Collin Rossell assured that the mayor will not let them down and will ask the court for a six-month extension of the implementation of the writ of demolition issued by Court Sheriff Jessie A. Belarmino of the Regional Trial Court.

The order of Judge Ramon Daomilas of RTC Branch 11 is the demolition of the structures and other improvements made in the lots occupied by 32 residents in three sitios of barangay Luz namely sitios Mabuhay, Lubi and Nangka.

Some 11 families face demolition in Sitio Mabuhay, 15 in sitio Lubi and six in sitio Nangka.

Residents hope that this writ is not the end yet of an already 15-year-old case.

Rossell said that the six-month extension shall be enough for them to review the case for possible change in the decision of the court.

“Kung pananglitan ma-approve ang extension, mangayo mi sa inyong tabang aron mahibaw-an nato kung duna ba gyud ta’y katungod sa yuta na inyong gipuy-an,” Rossell told the residents.

He was told that the lot was once part of the Provincial Ordinance 93-1 but was turned over to Cebu City through a deed of assignment issued during the time of former governor Emilio Osmeña.

“Kung sa syudad kini nga yuta unya papahawaon na nuon mo, wala diay kwenta ang atong housing program. Dili kana mao ang tumong sa syudad,” Rossell said.

Evangeline Abejo, President of the Nasudnong Katawhang Kabus, the umbrella organization of the Bario Luz Urban Poor Federation, said that the residents ordered to be evicted are original occupants of the area since 1956, some since 1965.

Some of them are fire victims in sitio Cogon Ramos and D. Jakosalem who were relocated in the area in 1956.

Some are residents in barangay Mabolo affected by the construction of the North Reclamation Project in 1965.

These residents filed a complaint against their homeowners association seeking for partial annulment of contracts and certificates of title with injunction and preliminary mandatory injunction.

They were the ones who refused to be members of the homeowners association and part of the Community Mortgage Program availed of by their organizations because they want to directly pay to the City Government instead of paying to the association. –(FREEMAN)