Lapu-Lapu demolition averted: Lot owners give 300 families until after Christmas to move out
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan intervenes to stop a scheduled demolition at a private lot in Sitio Cacia, Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City today, February 21. | Photo courtesy of Lapu-Lapu City PIO
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — Families living in more than 200 houses in a private lot, which were scheduled to be demolished this morning, February 21, can sleep comfortably in their homes tonight until after Christmas this year.
This was after the owners of the 2-hectare private lot in Sitio Cacia, Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City through their representative, Bryan Dosdos, agreed not to demolish the houses of the affected families until after Christmas.
Dosdos heeded the mayor’s appeal not to demolish the more than 200 houses until 30 days later during a meeting with the mayor together with the court sheriff and the affected residents.
But during the meeting, Dosdos said that he and his aunts, who are the other owners of the lot in Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City, had agreed not to demolish the houses of the affected families until after Christmas this year.
“Si mayor wala lang mo kahibawo kapila nihangyo sa akoa. Kay dili lang man pod ako ra ani, daghan man mi ani, so akong gipahibawo ang akong mga iyaan,” Dosdos said.
(You don’t know how many times the mayor appealed to me. But this lot is not mine alone, the lot [in Lapu-Lapu City] has several owners, so I informed my aunts about this.)
“Pero ikapasalig nako sa katawhan nga dokumento ni diri, nga atubangan ni mayor ug konsehal Tino, maka-Pasko mo diri,” he said.
(But I can assure the people here that they can document this, that in front of the mayor and Councilor [Celestino] Tino Aying, that you can spend Christmas here [in the lot in Lapu-Lapu] this year.)
Tino Aying was the former head of Lapu-Lapu City’s urban poor, and who is now running for councilor under Mayor Chan’s group.
During the meeting, the owners through Dosdos agreed to extend today’s deadline to 30 days, where they ordered the affected residents to voluntarily demolish their houses and clear out from the the private lot in Lapu-Lapu City.
Aside from this, Chan also urged the lot owners to give the affected residents relocation sites or financial assistance.
However, Chan said that if the lot owners could not provide a relocation site, then the city would find one for them.
“Kung mahimo mapangitaan nato ug paagi. Duha ra gyud ni nga paagi. Option A nga malugwayan ta ug mahatagan ta og relocation,” Chan said.
(If possible, we will find a way. There are two options. Opion A is that the owners will extend the deadline [for the demolition] and they will be given a relocation site.)
Mao nang makigsabot ko sa tag-iya. Kung wala silay relocation ikahatag, ako inyong amahan, maoy mohatag ninyo og relocation,” Chan said.
(That is why I negotiated with the owners. If they don’t have a relocation site, I, as your father of the city, will provide you the relocation site.)
“Kung way relocation ikahatag ang maong tag-iya sa luna, mohangyo ko kaniya nga mohatag og financial assistance sa mga molupyo nga apektado,” he added.
(If the owners of the lot cannot provide the relocation site, then we appeal to the owners to give financial assistance to the affected residents.)
Chan added that the city would also provide additional financial assistance to the affected families to ensure that they could start building their new houses.
But during the end of the meeting, Dosdos told the mayor and the affected residents that the owners were heeding the mayor’s appeal and assured the affected families that they could spend Christmas in the private lot in Lapu-Lapu City.
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