Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan leads the distribution of cash assistance to victims of demolitions in his city. | Photo contributed by Lapu-Lapu City PIO
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Around 318 families, who were victims of demolitions last year, received financial assistance from the Lapu-Lapu City Government on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.
Of the said number, 214 families received P21,000 each, while 104 families received P20,000 each.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan said that this was in line with his campaign promise that there will be “no demolition without relocation sites or relocation assistance.”
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Among the Lapu-Lapu demolition victims who received the assistance were the families affected in the demolition at Sitio Casia, Barangay Bankal, last year. During said demolition, some residents were arrested after resisting a demolition order issued by the court.
Relocation assistance beneficiaries include members of City Urban Poor Associations and Casia Matab-ang Residents Association (CAMARA).
Members of three urban poor associations received their assistance from Chan through the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and the Urban Poor Affairs Office (UPAO).
Anna Bontia, president of Bankal Dreamville, assisted her 156 members in receiving assistance, while Marife Cortes, president of Hiniusang Kalihukan Buaya Urban Poor Association (HK-BUPA), helped her 49 members claim their assistance.
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Fatima Albios, president of the Bankal-Buaya Urban Poor Association, also helped with her 35 members.
Also, 30 members of the Casia Matab-ang Residence Association (CAMARA) are set to receive the mayor’s cash assistance.
Chan also promised to give them relocation sites on Barangay Canjulao.
However, those who wish to remain in Bankal will still be allowed to buy small parcels of land from the private owners, payable in 25 years, after the mayor negotiated with the property owner to sell the lot at a minimal price for the demolition victims.
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Chan also negotiated with the Community Mortgage Program (CMP), the agency that will buy the lot and where the Lapu-Lapu demolition victims can buy lots through installment.
CMP is a mortgage financing program of the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), which assists underprivileged and homeless citizens’ associations to purchase and develop a tract of land for community ownership.