STRUCTURES that were rented to settlers were the first to be demolished by Lapu-Lapu City Hall at the shores of Sitio Spirla, Barangay Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu, yesterday.
The remaining 51 shanties occupied by indigent families were spared temporarily pending further dialogue between the Lapu-Lapu City government and the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP).
The Lapu-Lapu City police deployed SWAT and crowd dispersal teams to keep watch as a demolition team did their work.
Government trucks were used to transport the housing materials to a place requested by the shanty owners.
The renters moved out days before yesterday’s scheduled demolition.
Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Gregorio Paquibot Jr. owned one of the structures, but he didn’t object to the demolition.
Andy Berame, chief of the city local disaster management office, said Paquibot’s shanty was sold to him after its owner needed money for hospitalization.
Leony Serida, president of a homeowners association, said they would rather be relocated than accept the city’s P10,000 financial assistance.
But Mayor Paz Radaza said the city has no relocation site.
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