THE remaining structures at Guizo fire site were demolished yesterday. (CDN PHOTO/NORMAN MENDOZA)
The five houses that remained standing at the fire site in Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City were demolished yesterday after the deadline to voluntarily demolish them had lapsed.
Lawyer Edu Ibañez of the Mandaue City Legal Office, said they were about to implement the demolition of 21 structures last Monday, but they postponed it after house owners asked for three more days or until yesterday to voluntarily demolish their houses.
However, only 16 families complied with the deadline.
During yesterday’s demolition, the remaining house owners did not show any resistance. They only pleaded with the demolition team to properly remove the materials, so they can still use them in rebuilding their houses.
Ibañez said that a transitory housing will be built near the fire site to temporarily house the fire victims while the site is being developed. The fire site, which is about two hectares, is currently being dumped with filling materials to elevate the area.
Ibañez said that based on the development plan, medium rise structures, a basketball court, day-care center and an area for roasting pigs for those engaging in the said business will be built in the area.
Police personnel are also being deployed in the area to secure contractors who will be working for the site development in preparation for the reblocking.
The Paquibot family, who owns four of the five structures, admitted difficulty in meeting the deadline considering the number of houses, including two-story structures, that they had to voluntarily demolish.