CDN Photo Norman Mendoza
AROUND 30 shanties occupying the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) lot in Mandaue City were demolished yesterday.
Tony Pet Juanico, Mandaue City Housing and Development Office (HUDO) chief, said the personnel from the Department of General Services started clearing the place to pave way for the demolition of CICC building, which sustained damage after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol and Cebu in October 2013 and Super Typhoon Yolanda the following month.
Ronilo Gahator expressed concern over where to stay now after their temporary shelter was destroyed yesterday.
Gahator has been temporarily occupying the CICC lot with his family since 2016 after their house was damaged by the fire that hit barangays Guizo and Mantuyong.
Gahator, however, said he would not leave the area unless there is a relocation site for them.
“Maguba man ang tanan diri, dili gyod mi mamahawa,” he said.
Atty. Alan James Sayson, assistant City Legal Officer of Mandaue, said, “We have offered them financial assistance to somehow help them find a place to stay or go back to their provinces but they did not accept it.”
Arnold Gonzalez, member of Piston and allegedly among the fire victims, expressed his dismay to the city government for failing to give them a relocation when according to the law there will be no demolition if there’s no relocation.
“Klaro kaayo sa balaod nga walay demolisyon, kon walay relokasyon, apan wala kini tumana sa mayor, sa HUDO ug sa PCUP (Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor) (It was very clear that the law says, if there’s no relocation, there will be no demolition, but the mayor, HUDO and PCUP did not implement it),” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez and his group vowed to bring their demands to the city hall and to remain at the CICC grounds as they have no other place to stay.
Gonzales said they were not given a court order for the said demolition, thus, they are now preparing to bring the matter to the office of the Ombudsman Visayas.
The 30 families were allegedly among the 275 families that were not included in the list of beneficiaries of the government-donated lot in barangays Guizo and Mantuyong as they were just renting or sharing a house with other people at the time of the fire.
Some of the 288 families who were beneficiaries of the 9.2-hectare government-donated lot are still staying at the back of CICC as their relocation site is still being developed.
The Mandaue City government, which acquired the property from the Capitol for P300 million, is eyeing to demolish the structure and construct a hotel, casino and convention hall in the area.