36 retired junior officers leave Fort Bonifacio Naval quarters

To avoid being humiliated, 36 of the 41 retired junior officers facing forcible eviction at the Fort Bonifacio Naval Station in Taguig City voluntarily left their quarters yesterday.

Since last month, the Philippine Navy has been aggressive in its effort to recover housing facilities built for active members from unauthorized occupants such as retirees and those already separated from service.

Capt. Geronimo Malabanan, Navy spokesman, lauded the action of the retired senior and field grade officers for voluntarily leaving their quarters.

"At least 36 of the 41 unauthorized occupants at the Junior Officers Quarters have left their housing units," Malabanan said. "The remaining five retired officers and their families are in the process of hauling their personal belongings."

On Jan. 5, the retired officers were served with the final notice of eviction by the Navy’s Housing Board.

"This is the most orderly so far," Malabanan said, referring to retired senior and field grade officers, who simply packed their things and left instead of waiting for their colleagues to forcibly evict them.

Malabanan said the eviction operations at the JOQ could have been completed Monday but the Navy has to make its vehicles available to the government during the Independence Day celebration.

The Philippine Navy encountered strong resistance in the first and second phase of the eviction process.

Some 56 senior officers residing at the Senior Officers Quarters (SOQ) resisted the order but were evicted from their quarters nevertheless.

The group claimed that the eviction is illegal and that they are the rightful owners of the contested area as the place was already titled under their association, the Navy Officers Village Association Inc. (NOVAI).

In the second phase of the eviction process, retired enlisted personnel also opposed the move but were subsequently prevailed upon by around 2,000 colleagues.

But at the JOQ, what the Navy encountered was a shortage in transport vehicles to ferry personal belongings of those leaving the housing facility.

After Fort Bonifacio, Malabanan said the Navy would also reclaim housing units occupied by retired personnel at Camp Claudio in Parañaque.

The five-hectare Navy camp has 165 quarters for active enlisted personnel.

Navy records showed that there are 39 unauthorized osccupants at the facility.

"Phase 4 of the eviction is set to be carried anytime soon at Camp Claudio," Malabanan said, adding that the temporary restraining order obtained by 39 unauthorized occupants has lapsed on June 5.