Residents of sitio Mahayag in barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City has turned to Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III for help in their bid to stop the ongoing demolition of their houses as ordered by Mandaue City Hall.
Residents trooped to the Cebu provincial capitol and sought an audience with the governor, but they were unable to meet them.
Last Tuesday, a 50-man demolition team started tearing down the remaining 130 houses in the area which were found to have encroached on a three-meter easement of Mahiga river.
“Even if you go to our place in Pakna-an, you can’t say it’s the right place. There’s a fish pond and there’s a mangrove patch. Even if they fill it with land, it will still go down once it rains,” said Lani Rosales, a 35-year-old member of the Sitio Mahayag Homeowners Association Inc. (SMHAI).
Displaced
Rosales referred to the mud-soaked 6.5 hectare relocation site in barangay Pakna-an where they were transferred last Tuesday.
She said they filed for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to stop the demolition.
Rosales said a hearing for the TRO is set at 8 a.m. today.
She said 153 houses were “illegally” demolished and that her home was not part of the three-meter easement zone.
She said the Mandaue City government gave each displaced household P17,000 as assistance but not all got the amount.
“There are 153 houses in the sitio, with 100 of those belonging to SMHAI. The rest belong to other organizations,” she said.
Mandaue City’s Housing and Urban Development Office (HUDO) is in charge of distributing the financial assistance.
On learning about their complaints, Davide said he will talk to Mayor Cortes about their case.
“I read in the papers that the city wants them removed. I’ll call the mayor first,” he told reporters. He and Mayor Cortes belong to the Liberal Party.
Mandaue City Legal Officer Giovanni Tianero said the city complied with all requirements for the demolition and that settlers were warned to vacate the area two years ago.
Tony Pet Juanico, chief of the Housing and Urban Development Office, asked the settlers to be patient as City Hall develops the site.
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