As if constrained to give up their homes for the season of Lent that begins with today’s Ash Wednesday rites, settlers in two Cebu City barangays saw their homes demolished by workers under the city government.
A demolition crew made inroads in barangay Ermita on Monday, dismantling structures that vendors and informal settlers set up.
Yesterday, workers began to demolish in barangay Apas structures that shelter about 160 families.
In both places, settlers complained that they were not given ample time to find another place where they could stay.
In Ermita, some settlers claimed that police rounded them up or hurt them even though they joined no melee.
The Apas settlers’ last-ditch effort to obtain a stay on the demolition through a court order did not prosper.
Demolitions will always bring to the fore the conundrum that grips authorities who ought to balance the demands of political will for the common good with social justice that favors the marginalized.
The poor who are hard-pressed to find proper shelter need support.
If their hovels need to be torn down, temporary shelter from the government is in order.
Demolitions ought not to be implemented if the affected are not consulted. Violence must not mar the tearing down of homes.
In a highly charged environment, the government is prone to being accused of being cold-hearted and heavy-handed.
What must the government do?
Raquel Arce, head of the Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement said the Warwick Barracks vendors were informed ahead of the government’s plan for their place and given three days to tear down their own structures.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama himself is not satisfied with temporary accommodations for settlers at the North Reclamation Area.
Perhaps pushing through with the demolitions while the halfway houses are still wanting in homeliness was ill-advised.
Even as City Hall is right to be strict in keeping public areas off limits and in ensuring proper zoning and urban planning for disaster resilience and livability, it must not abandon its mandate to provide socialized housing.
We can always say the poor must realize that where there is a will for a better life, there will always be a way, but that just sounds hackneyed and heartless if our collective effort to bring them opportunities for progress is negligible.