Houses on government lots also demolished

Retired teacher Rosana delos Santos whose house was among the structures demolished, complained that they are on government land, which is not covered by the demolition order.

SOME residents in Sitio Sta. Cruz in Barangay Capitol Site cried foul after a sheriff demolished their houses despite that they are located on a government owned lot.

Rosana delos Santos, 61, said that she was offered money twice to vacate the area.

However, she refused but she was devastated when members of the demolition team demolished her house last Tuesday.

“Wala g’yud ko modawat kay kahibaw mi nga gobyerno ang tagiya ani nga yuta. Pero ilaha gihapon giguba,” Delos Santos, who is a retired school teacher, said.

Delos Santos is among the 100 families in Sitio Sta. Cruz who were allegedly offered to vacate the area but refused.

Capitol Site Barangay Captain Manuel Guanzon said that court sheriff El Cid Caballes allegedly harassed some of his constituents after the residents refused to vacate the lot in Sitio Sta. Cruz.

“Ang kani nga sheriff i-insist g’yud niya nga ang kaning government owned nga luna apil sa demolition order sa korte,” Guanzon said.

(The sheriff really insists that this government-owned lot is included in the demolition order issued by the court)

Guanzon said that as far as they are concerned only the structures within the Quijada property were ordered demolished.

Guanzon explained that the sheriff also went after those structures not within the Quijada property.

Guanzon showed the order of the court which stated that the Quijada property, which is a 9,642 square meter area, was the only area covered by the court order.

He said that the order clearly showed that this does not include the 4,728 square meter owned by the government.
“Dili nami makig-away nila kay alkansi g’yud mi. Ang amoa lang ipakita nila ang owership karon sa government lot and the technical description asa kutob ilahang property,” Guanzon said.

(We won’t fight them anymore. What we want is for them to show documents that they now own the government lot and the technical description of the measurement of their lot)

Guanzon also showed to the media the technical description of the government lot which was certified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7).