The Dec. 26 fire that hit sitio Avocado in barangay Lahug was unfortunate. It happened during the Christmas season just as people were getting ready to greet the new year.
Acting Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella told me that in the evening after the fire, he met with displaced residents and a Lahug barangay representative to coordinate the clearing of debris and re-blocking of the burned area. On the day City Hall was to clear the area, City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos suddenly came into the picture and tried to block the work saying there was no proper consultation made with barangay officials.
Labella explained again that the area had to be cleared to protect residents and that consultation was already done in a meeting attended by barangay representative.
So what Councilor Delos Santos was saying was not true and could be attributed to politicking now that De los Santos belongs to the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK). It is the city government’s policy to immediately clear an area hit by fire to pave the way for re-blocking whose importance and relevance has been proven in many burned areas developed by the city in barangay Tejero and Lorega, where today the neighborhood is livable and much improved.
In places that have been re-blocked, the experience is that a succeeding fire incident would be put out quickly in 15 minutes. That’s because fire trucks no longer have difficulty entering interior parts to fight a fire because the road is wide enough for the trucks.
Re-blocking an area after a fire is practical and useful for residents. There’s no reason to oppose the operation.
Besides I believe the acting mayor. He has integrity and one who exemplifies the Rotary motto “service above self” compared to Councilor De los Santos who has displayed the traits of a traditional politician.
Labella is not bothered at all with politicking in the exercise of his role as acting mayor. He articulated City Hall’s position that it is not proper for a land owner to displace residents who have lost their dwellings in a fire.
No one should take advantage of the misfortune of people by not allowing them to rebuild their homes. It would set a bad precedent. Some landowners may get the idea that it’s convenient to set fire to an occupied area in order to claim ownership over the lot. There are other ways for a landowner to assert his right and seek legal remedies in court, but first let us take care of the humanitarian needs of the fire victims.
The controversy in sitio Avocado can be resolved by the parties, who are reasonable. As long as they continue to hold a dialog I am confident that they can reach a win-win solution. I support the position of the acting mayor as reasonable and logical compared to that of De los Santos that is full of partisan politics. If her position of Delos Santos is justifiable then why are fire victims not supporting her except for one barangay official who is her ally? If I were De los Santos, I would give way to the city government headed by Labella to perform its basic function unhampered and resolve the controversy with officials of the University of the Philippines. Partisan politics has no place in this unfortunate incident.
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