A beginning of a meaningful thrust

There can be no more emotional sight than seeing homes being demolished. Not just any home. I am referring, in particular, to the ones that had to be erected, by their eventual dwellers, on no other sanctimonious place than the sides of the streets. These erectors have a sweeping sociological statement to find their illegal incursion into such land of public domain as the road. They do not own a space on mother earth they can claim their own and so for this reason, society must look upon their plight more kindly and with compassion and understanding.

Indeed, because ours is a kind society, we have coined a new term for them in recent times - informal settlers. It no longer sounds as derogatory as plain squatters. Just the same, when demolition is eminent, however, they wax more philosophical. In their plea for kindness, they will acknowledge that their structures impede traffic and may be removed at the pleasure of the government, yet claim that when they set out to construct their makeshift dwellings, such move was but a temporary refuge from the harshness of economic deprivation. How may anyone argue against it?

In fact, these were the words I heard recently from some homeowners in Pasil area, this city, when personnel from the city government removed, plank after old plank, and rusty GI sheets after another, their houses. Conceding that probably the demolition crew had the backing force of a legal order, they still sighed, quite loudly, that they had nowhere else to go.

Was this scene avoidable? Was there any way such a painful incident could have been anticipated and before it unraveled horribly?

Before answering these questions, allow me to congratulate the Honorable Cebu City Mayor, Tomas Osmeña for ordering the demolition. It was perfectly legal a conduct notwithstanding the serious social repercussions. More than that, by ordering that such obstructions found on the streets be removed, the mayor advanced the interest of the many. In the process, immense public good was achieved.

That act of the mayor, having redounded to common weal, should not stop with Pasil. There are many other streets that have been usurped by informal settlers and should be saved. Mayor Osmeña must also order that they be taken back from the hands of private usurpers. For example, the street approaching Ermita passing by the place near the former Omega theater, is now less than its original width. Shanties have sprouted on both sides of the road causing its shrinkage. Cabantan Street, from Barangay Mabolo towards Barangay Luz, for another, can be restored to its bigger width if only the unauthorized dwellings were not allowed to eat up good portions of the road. Holy Name Street, also in Barangay Mabolo, is so narrowed by constructions on both sides, that even in name alone, it can hardly be holy.

With a more determined political will, the mayor can clear the city streets of all intruders and usurpers. But, he should adopt a parallel move. It must be an act designed to prevent such intrusions in the first place. The need is obvious because without a system to prevent people from squatting on the street sides, as soon as the clearing is done, overnight, informal settlers will return to their prior places.

Local legislation, more than ever, must be put in place to ascertain that the city environs shall be both friendly and hostile against squatters. It shall be friendly in the sense blue bloodied Cebuanos, by birth or by choice of a long period, be given the chance to own their homes. Many modes can be structured to achieve this end.

A city ordinance can, at the same time, be hostile to new settlers when crafted in such a way that immigrants (to Cebu City) who may only aggravate the situation here be discouraged to come. Whatever these ordinances be, let the mayor implement them without fear nor favor and only then may the present beginnings of demolishing illegal structures eventually attain meaningful form.