Fire victims staying at Barangays Guizo-Mantuyong fire site angrily block Mandaue City workers who arrived at the area to start reblocking operation. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Guizo-Mantuyong victims given three more days to destroy houses at fire site
Fire victims staying in the fire site in Barangays Guizo and Mantuyong were given three more days to demolish the houses that they rebuilt as the Mandaue City government prepares to reblock the area.
Mandaue City legal officer John Eddu Ibañez, who met with Guizo Barangay Captain Jesus Neri Sr. yesterday, said the deadline for the demolition of the structures was supposedly last Friday (June 17), or 17 days after the fire victims were given the notices to demolish the structures and leave the fire site.
“Due to humanitarian reasons, we will give them another three days extension to demolish their own structures. But if on Thursday, they still would not demolish their structures, then the city will demolish their structures,” Ibañez said.
Ibañez said there are 21 structures that are to be demolished in the 9.2-hectare donated government lot.
Tension rose when city government personnel and policemen arrived at the fire site at 9 a.m. yesterday. However, the 63 police officers were able to manage the angry crowd at the fire site.
Among the fire victims’ concerns Neri raised to Ibañez are the fear of some residents that they would not be able to return to the area and the uncomfortable situation at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) grounds where most of the fire victims are temporarily housed.
Antonio Cordillera, whose house was not totally damaged by the fire, asked the city government not to include his house in the demolition.
“I am not against the reblocking but I hope that they will not include my house. Anyway their road network is already wide enough,” Cordillera said in Cebuano.
Ann Marie Paquibot, a Barangay Guizo resident, said she and her family don’t want to be moved to the CICC because of the unsanitary condition and lack of basic necessary facilities at the CICC.
She cited the dirty comfort rooms and the lack of water for the victims in the area.
Rosalinda Rello, a member of the Federation of Mandaue Community Urban Poor Inc. (FEDMACUPI), said that they are no longer against the reblocking especially that there is already an order from the court that they should not oppose the site development project of the city.
She, however, agreed with Paquibot on her CICC concern.
Ibañez, however, assured the residents that they would be allowed to return to their lots, and rumors of them paying the city government for their lots are not true.
He said the city residents can return to their lots after the site development and the 9.2-hectare lot will be distributed equally among the victims.
“There is the project of the city nga naay transitory housing ibutang diri sa area that is why it’s very important nga ma-reblock”, Ibañez added.
The lot is part of the 9.2 hectares that was donated by the city government but Ibañez reiterated that the deed of donation is not a “simple donation”, it is a conditional donation subject to the provisions of the memorandum of agreement.