Nine houses fronting the Doña Pepang Cemetery were demolished by Cebu City Hall to pave the way for its plan to convert it into a heritage park.
Edgar Quiñones, spokesman of the Doña Pepang Osmeña Mausoleum Homeowners Association, was among those whose homes were taken down.
“I’m not sure where to go after our house was demolished since City Hall isn’t sure about relocation in barnagay Lorega,” Quiñones said.
The Department for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) initially said a relocation site in Lorega-San Miguel is ready for displaced residents to move in. But Lorega-San Miguel’s barangay chairman Fitzgerald Herrera said the village isn’t ready to accommodate new settlers.
Herrera said they submitted a barangay resolution asking Mayor Michael Rama to reconsider the relocation of Doña Pepang families to their barangay.
An earlier batch of 68 fire victims who live in a relocation site there were not welcoming.
“If even one person from another barangay will come here, we will not allow it. We will rally against it,” said Victorino Polotan, spokesman of informal settlers.
Collin Rosell, DWUP chief, said the protestors have no basis to insiste on exclusive use.
“The lot is for all socialized housing beneficiaries. The barangay cannot say that we are doing this without permission because they are aware that the area is not only for them,” Rosell said./UP Cebu Intern Juli Ann M. Sibi
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