Mayor to Davide: Donate ‘drug den’ lot near City Hall

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is asking the Cebu provincial government to donate its property across City Hall reportedly being used as drug dens.

The property became controversial last week after the police alleged that some City Hall employees would sneak into an interior area in Sitio Lutaw-Lutaw, Barangay Sto. Niño to use illegal drugs.

Yesterday, Rama told reporters that he spoke with Governor Hilario Davide III and asked him to give the property to the city.

“I already talked to Governor Junjun Davide to help me out in putting order in that area… Nagkaestorya mi ni Junjun unya giingnan nako siya nga ‘Jun maypa’g inyo nang i-donate sa Cebu City tungod kay dako pa kaayo og gamit namo. Unya kon i-donate ninyo Jun, we will have to work it out’,” he said through a teleconference as he was in Manila yesterday.

Asked about the governor’s response, Rama said it made him chuckle and added that they would first finish the 93-1 matter, referring to the initial agreement between the provincial and city governments on province-owned lots occupied by Cebu City residents covered under Provincial Ordinance 93-1.

The province wants to already evict the residents, who failed to pay for the lots way past the deadline, while the city wants to pay for the lots to save the residents.

Rama said city and Capitol would be meeting “on the days to come” to discuss the agreement.

As to the lot near City Hall, he said he would visit the area “to check what is going on there.”

The mayor said he wants to “organize” the houses and establishments in the area through a re-blocking scheme or possibly convert the property into a parking lot if ever the province would agree to donate it.

“Its façade is not pleasing to the eyes… and it is creating a problem, so we might as well do some drastic change within the area,” he said.

What also concerns him is that the area has a high risk of fire since the structures are built very close to each other.

“Mao gyud na akong buhaton dinha sa kilid sa City Hall (to check kon) unsay iyahang status diha kay atbang ra man na sa City Hall, kon prone na sa sunog so we have to do something about it. We will have to listen kon unsay recommendation ni Bong sa fire department,” he said, referring to Cebu City Fire Marshall Rogelio Bongabong.

Rama also directed the city Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor to assess the lot, which also serves as home to illegal settlers, and for the city Department of Social Welfare and Services to provide possible assistance to the families.

Rama likewise instructed the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works to do a survey of area as well as police to check for drug personalities there.

Last November 11, a buy-bust operation by the National Bureau of Investigation -7 led to the arrest of three people who were reportedly maintaining a drug den in the area. (FREEMAN)