Lahug fire site fight: Cops caught in ‘crossfire’

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City officials yesterday accused policemen stationed at the fire site in Sitio Avocado, Barangay Lahug of allegedly preventing residents from rebuilding their homes following a re-blocking by the city government.

Policemen who were allegedly following a request from the University of the Philippines Cebu administration allegedly told the residents not to start construction.

But, acting mayor Edgardo Labella said only a court order can stop the city government from implementing its thrust to protect the welfare of its constituents since “nobody should be dislocated by the reason of fire.”

“We cannot just dispossess these people… unless there is a court order… because nobody can take the law into their own hands. There should be a process and procedure. But, we acknowledge that there is a need to sit down with them (UP Cebu officials),” Labella said.

Upon arriving at the fire-stricken area at 6 p.m. yesterday, City Administrator Lucelle Mercado said several policemen allegedly stopped the residents from rebuilding their houses while the city also distributed housing materials.

“Nagka-tension napod kay ipaundang ang construction, unya dili man mo-undang ang mga tao. Among giingnan ang mga police nga dili pwede undangon. Lisod ang kinabuhi sa mga tao diha sa eskwelahan labi pa nga klase na ugma (January 4). Dili na mahimo nga i-stop,” Mercado said.

After the December 26 fire that left over 200 families homeless, the victims were temporarily sheltered at the nearby Lahug Elementary School. The school, though, would already need the classrooms the fire victims were using as classes are set to resume today.

Mercado said the policemen told her that the UP Cebu administration, which owns the lot were the fire occurred, made the request that no construction should be allowed.

There was no exchange of heated words, though, unlike last December 31, 2015 when UP Cebu tried to fence off the property, saying it would use it for the expansion of the school.

City Hall, however, intervened and told the school that it could not fence the area since it has not secured a fencing permit from the city government.

Lawyer Collin Rosell, chief of the city’s Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor, said that the “over one hundred police personnel” could not stop the residents or the city from having the fire victims’ homes rebuilt.

Rosell and Mercado were both in the area when the policemen allegedly tried to stop the people from constructing their houses.

Sought for comment, UP Cebu Dean Liza Corro said she will have her press conference today to answer the issues.

In a separate interview Cebu City Police Office Acting Director Mariano Batiancela denied the accusation that his men stop residents from building their homes in the UP Cebu lot.

“Dili na tinuod, ipa-check na. Kana nga information sayop na,” he said.

CCPO Deputy Director for Operations Artemio Ricabo Jr. said they could not prevent an individual from building their house at the fire scene since it is outside of their mandate.

It, however, looks like the policemen are caught in the middle of two opposing forces, with UP Cebu allegedly also accusing them of impartiality.

Ricabo said he requested 100 personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion yesterday after he was accused by UP Cebu Dean Liza Corro of being “one-sided”.

“Ni-withdraw mi taga-CCPO, kay way salig ang UP.  Ingon ang dean one-sided ko....  Actually, akoy ni-request og 100 personnel sa RPSB7 aron neutral,” Ricabo said.

Acting Mayor Edgardo Labella, for his part, said the city government should proceed with the re-blocking scheme.

“Tomorrow (today), Lahug Elementary School will resume… classes. We cannot allow them (fire victims, to continue using the classrooms)… it’s difficult to let them continue to stay because we cannot also sacrifice the students, unless there is a court order or whatever,” he said.

The acting mayor said that from 17 classrooms, the fire victims will only occupy eight classrooms to lessen the impact on the classes. The school will also hold makeshift classes today.

While acknowledging that the city should discuss the situation with the UP Cebu administration, Labella said the city government stands firm that nobody should be dislocated just because they got hit by fire.

“Parehas ra na nga atong gibutangan og asin ang ilang samad, mosamot kahapdos. They are human beings. They are our people. We have the legal and moral duty to look after their welfare,” he said.

Labella said that initially, the city government has recorded only 59 families who are structure owners out of the 200 families affected by the fire incident.

Each of the 59 families have been assigned an area of 34 square meters after the city government established the spaces for roads, a chapel, and a public comfort room of the entire 300-square-meter area hit by fire.

She said the city government distributed housing materials to the fire victims so that they could start rebuilding their houses yesterday.

Rosell said City and UP Cebu officials will meet within the week to discuss the plight of the fire victims.

“It is just a continuation sa atong estorya before, years ago. They have agreed, in the presence of Mayor Michael Rama, that they have to be specific nga naa ba sa ilang project component ang matters sa occupants living in their property where the building nga ilang gi-propose will be constructed. Wala na nila ma-address,” Rosell said.

Rosell said UP Cebu is just making “short-cuts” considering the “force exerted” by the administration.

He said that that during the meeting, the city government will express its intention to acquire the fire-stricken area as site for a socialized housing program.

“If we did that with some other private properties, why not do it in a government (property?)” he said.

Despite the allegation that the police were used by UP Cebu to prevent residents from rebuilding their homes, Ricabo said policemen would still be deployed in the area in case tension arises between concerned parties.

He told The FREEMAN that it would be best for the parties to go to court to settle their differences. — / RHM (FREEMAN)