Housing board eyed as clearing house for demolitions

Any demolition of homes in Cebu City should be cleared first with the city’s housing board before it is enforced, Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon said.

The councilor drafted an ordinance requiring national government and City Hall agencies to apply for a certificate of compliance from the Cebu City Local Housing Board 30 days before the demolition.

Dizon, who chairs the City Council housing committee, said this will prevent demolitions that were carried out without complying with the guidelines set under the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA).

“This is to serve as guidelines in order to strengthen UDHA provision that no demolition shall be executed without proper and adequate relocation,” Dizon said.

City Hall’s Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (Probe) team is clearing shanties at the Doña Pepang Cemetery.

READ: Doña Pepang settlers hold protest at City Hall

Dizon said his proposed ordinance complements City Ordinance No. 2385 which mandates the city housing board as the “sole clearing house” for demolition and eviction activities involving the homeless and underprivileged citizens.

He said the housing board will also convene the agency requesting the demolition and the affected families to determine if they are qualified for relocation or if one is available for them among other concerns.

Some settlers claim that they haven’t been allocated a proper relocation site by the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) in barangay Lorega San Miguel.

The proposed ordinance was passed on first reading during the council’s session last August 5 and was referred to the committee on laws for review.