By LITO RULONA,
Correspondent
“GIVE us a relocation site first before you tear down our houses.”
Informal settlers living in the city’s sanitary landfill in Upper Dagong, Barangay Carmen have raised complaints before the city council regarding the alleged illegal demolition headed by Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro) chief Edwin Dael, local officials of Barangay Carmen, and the city police.
Elsa Arcoy, 28 along with other settlers trooped before the city council and asked for an immediate issuance of a resolution asking Dael and local officials in Barangay Carmen to suspend the demolition while awaiting for the relocation sites offered by the city government.
The affected houses were owned by Jaquelene Cadahusay, Emma Caseres, Randel Emar, Mariano Arcoy, Maria Nero Danggoy, and Ermundo Tabolada.
“(Sixteen) years na kami diha unya diha ra pud kami nabuhi pinaagi sa pagpangaykay sa basura. Giguba nila among mga payag-payag nga maoy among katulgan og pahulayanan,” Arcoy said.
She added they will not resist if they would be driven away by the city government but they want to avail of any relocation site offered by City Mayor Oscar Moreno for the landless families in the city.
On January 25, Barangay Carmen Acting-Barangay Chairman Rainier Joaquin Uy has send a letter to a certain Randel Emar, one of the informal settlers in the area that they will take a demolition of an alleged illegal structure.
In his letter, Uy also claimed that the informal settlers were given ample time to demolish their structures but they failed to do. This promted the local officials to conduct the demolition by themselves.
“Pwede man kami magpa-demolish apan kana pung bakasyon kay affected ang mga bata nga nag-eskwela kung karon nila himoun,” Rosella Emar told Gold Star Daily.
During the regular session, Monday, City Councilor Lourdes Candy Darimbang filed a resolution addressed to Moreno and the barangay officials of Carmen to suspend the demolition awaiting availability of the relocation site offered by the city government to affected families.
Darimbang said proper processes must be followed before any demolition to happen.
“To hold in abeyance until such time that a relocation site can be offered by the city government. Dili pwede nga basta-basta na lamang kini sila nga papahawaon tungod kay dugay naman pud kini sila sa area og diha na nabuhi,” she added.
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