Council disagrees with plan to buy lots

THE Cebu City Council has blocked City Hall’s plan to purchase the lots occupied by 32 families in Barangay Luz.

This means City Mayor Michael Rama cannot let the City expropriate the lots in sitios Nangka, Lubi and Mabuhay to prevent the eviction of the 32 families.

During their regular session yesterday, the council passed Councilor Alvin Dizon’s resolution “expressing disagreement” to the purchase of the lots occupied by the 32 families.

The council believes that expropriating the lots will set a bad precedent in the City’s socialized housing program.

“If the City will purchase the lots (in Barangay Luz), it would mean that we will be purchasing the lots of other delinquent or recalcitrant families in other homeowners association,” said Dizon who heads the council’s committee on housing.

Such move, Dizon said, will send the message that it is acceptable for urban poor families to be delinquent in their amortization.

“This situation would definitely destroy the City’s socialized housing program,” he said.

Rama filed a motion in court earlier to ask for the declaration of status quo and stop the demolition of the houses of the 32 families.

In April 1998, the Regional Trial Court ruled that the 32 families do not have legal right to buy, own or posses the lots they are occupying. The decision was upheld by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

Dizon said that while he pities the 32 families, the court’s decision has to be respected.

He asked the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) to provide a relocation site for the 32 families as soon as possible.

DWUP prepared four relocation sites for the families in Barangays Tisa, Bulacao, Inayawan and Basak Pardo.