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By NITZ ARANCON
and LITO RULONA
Correspondents

CITY hall is working to buy some 200 families in three villages here more time after judges issued separate writs of demolition.

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One of the court orders, issued by regional Judge Gil Bollozos, threatens to render some 69 families in Barangay 36 homeless by Nov. 15.

Another judge,  Eleuteria   Algodon of the 5th branch of the Municipal Trial Court, has also issued a similar order to clear a property in Barangay 31 by Oct. 30.

Officials said Algodon’s writ could make some 140 families homeless before All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

Councilor Zaldy Ocon, chairman of the city council’s urban poor committee, said many families in Barangay Balulang were also facing the prospects of losing their homes because of a writ of demolition.

The city council on Monday approved a resolution, appealing to the judges to give the families until March 30, 2017.

Ocon, who authored the resolution, said he hoped the courts would grant the request so that city hall could prepare a relocation site for the families adversely affected by the writs of demolition.

“Dili man nato   madiktahan ang korte pero    naghangyo lang ta. Nanghina-ot lang ta nga    malo-oy si Judge Bollozos ug Judge Algodon ug ilang i-extend ang ilang writ of demolition kay mangita pa kitag yuta nga atong himo-on nga relocation,” he said.

Vice Mayor Reineir Joaquin Uy signed the resolution addressed to the judges.

Judge Bollozos, in an order dated Sept. 27, 2016, noted that a sheriff was given instructions about the issuance of a writ of removal and demolition as early as  Feb. 16, 2016. He said the sheriff did not act on it.

He also took note that the city administrator filed an urgent motion for deferment, resulting in a court hearing but no one from city hall came.

Because of the absence of city hall lawyers, the court gave the defendants 30 days to voluntarily vacate the property in Barangay 36.

Councilor Leon Gan, a lawyer, blamed city hall over its failure to send someone in court to attend the hearing.

“The city government has already given some explanation to the court but when the court needed their presence, they failed to appear in court. Mao kini ang hinungdan nga dunay gihatag nga schedule for demolition,” Gan said.

He said the city legal office should explain the no-show.

Gan is lawyering for families in another village, Barangay 31, who are also facing the prospects of losing their homes because of a court order.

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