Citicenter Demolition, Six-month moratorium pushed

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon has proposed a six-month moratorium on the eviction of informal settlers at the Citicenter Commercial Complex.

The proposal is contained in a proposed ordinance he hopes to pass before the city council.

Mayor Michael Rama said he will refer the matter to the city lawyers saying he could only wish the proponent thought the matter through. In the proposed ordinance, demolition of structures and eviction of occupants will be prohibited for a period of six months, a grace period for the residents to prepare to leave the property.

The draft ordinance also mandates the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor  to comply with Section 28 of the Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act which requires the provision of adequate relocation, whether temporary or permanent or compensation if relocation shall not be available.

Dizon said the mayor wants to evict the occupants for its plan to convert the place into a housing site but failed to consult the affected residents. He said there was no offer of relocation site.

Some 29 families and individuals claim to be underprivileged and homeless occupants of the Citicenter Commercial Complex.

They were asked by the Office of the Mayor to vacate the property last October. The site is eyed as a socialized housing site where high-rise condominiums for city hall employees and other homeless residents will be built soon.

Last month, those who claim as actual occupants sued the city government in court. The court however denied the complainants’ petition for preliminary injunction and gave the go signal to the city government to proceed with the demolition.

Rama said that the council is acting like higher than the court since there is already an order allowing city to evict the informal settlers. The court ordered the city to proceed with the demolition in the most humane way possible and make sure to accommodate in the city’s housing programs those who are eligible.

He said he would leave the matter to the legal office. Dizon referred the proposed ordinance to the Committee on Laws for comment and review. — (FREEMAN)