150 now homeless as City Hall clears Block 27

A family forced out of Block 27 at the North Reclamation Area stay in a makeshift tent along M. Logarta Street. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)

At least  91 families who lost their  homes in a fire in the former Warwick Barracks in January are left to sleeping and living  on the sidewalk at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City after the city government cleared out the area once used for their temporary shelters.

The victims, who number about 150, refused to move to the relocation site  provided by the city in barangay Budlaan, a mountain location they found too far and inconvenient.

A city government’ demolition team, the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement (Probe), on Friday cleared out structure in Block 27.

“Grabe kaayo sila, nagtu-o man gud mi nga hatagan mi ug lugway apan kalit lang gi-demolish nami (They’re heartless. We thought they would give us a reprieve and allow us  to stay in the area, but they suddenly went on with the demolition), said Tommy Alcoseba, 40, who made a tent out of  tarpaulin sheets so his family of four.

Alcoseba was one of the 111 families who were temporarily moved to Block 27 after the January fire.

The fire victims were not allowed to return and rebuild their houses on the government-owned lot  which the city government is converting into a parking lot.

They were allowed to stay at Block 27 at the North Relocation Area for the meantime.

The clearing operation was carried out after Mayor Michael Rama disapproved a plea to extend their stay for another three months.

Tension filled the area during the clearing operations when only a few  agreed to move to the designated site in barangay Budlaan.

At least 20 families agreed to transfer to Budlaan, said  Ronald Lamberte, Warwick-Barracks Homeowners Association president.

“We had a meeting today and we agreed that we’ll find a place to rent in the city instead of  going to Budlaan,” Lamberte told Cebu Daily News.

Those who refused to take City Hall’s offer to move to a relocation site in  Budlaan said the area is undeveloped and  far from the city where they earn their living.

Not a demolition

Probe head Raquel Arce said last Friday’s clearing operation was not a demolition.

“I would like to correct  reports about what happened last Friday. It’s not a demolition. It’s a transfer,” Arce said.

She said Budlaan will just be a holding area as City Hall processes the  papers for fire victims to be finally resettled in barangay Quiot Pardo in the city.

She said the city government is acquiring a 1,792 square-meter property  owned by Benjamin Kabinque for P16.5 million.

Councilor Alvin Dizon, has asked Mayor Rama and the Department for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) to take care of the affected families.

“It is sad to note that the mayor did not pay attention to the council’s appeal  for a 90-day extension for the fire victims,” Dizon said.

The recommendation by an ad hoc committee, which included Dizon,  asked the City Council  to hasten a  resolution that would authorize the city government to acquire the Kabinque property.

Dizon said the problem faced by  Warwick fire victims would have been avoided had the Rama administration not pursue a policy of using fire incidents to dislocate urban poor families.

“It is now the responsibility of DWUP and the mayor’s office to give a temporary relocation site to these families. We at the city council have already done our share,” Dizon said.

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