Wednesday, November 15, 2006 Squatters plying trade in Oro By Lizanilla J. Amarga
PROFESSIONAL squatters are now going around Cagayan de Oro City seeking empty lots where they can erect shanties and even went to the extent of using the name of Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) top brass officials, police warned Tuesday.
Cocpo director Aurelio Trampe confirmed that some professional squatters are operating in the city.
He said these shady personalities are even "fronting" his name and that of his deputy, Police Inspector Antonio Montalba, to those who wishes to ward them off the land.
"Those are cheap gimmicks to entice the uninformed poor to their swindling activities," he told Sun.Star.
Authorities reported how around 50 professional squatters allegedly sneaked in the dead of the night and crossed fenced lots located at Zone 7, Barangay Bayabas.
These squatters brought with them some materials for the construction of their shanties and after their "makeshift shelters" were put up, they suddenly claimed that the land was theirs.
Trampe said the landowners who were from Barangays Patag and Carmen were just surprised when they woke up the following day and were told on how these professional squatters have taken actual possession of their properties at Barangay Bayabas.
He said these professional squatters were initially told to leave the lands they were claiming to be their own.
However, Trampe said they were surprised when these squatters lied saying their stay in these lands are legitimate and have been sanctioned by him and Montalba.
But Trampe said, "We have no authority to award lots. We will demolish shanties if these violate the right of lawful lot owners."
He said the Bayabas attempted land grabbing was not an isolated incident in the city as a similar case was also recorded last April this year.
"We just hope that the public would always be careful and be warned against them," he said.
Local opposition leader former vice mayor Antonio Soriano Tuesday night told Sun.Star that such developments should no longer surprise the general public.
He said Cagayan de Oro City is becoming "very attractive" to such people because of the Piso-Piso Land program and the flagrant street vending in the city.
"This is no longer surprising as even just a few meters from City Hall where Emano is sitting lives a number of squatters," he said, referring to those under the Ysalina Carmen Bridge.
Soriano said this is part of Emano's "scheme" to gather more votes to his side considering that these squatters are then registered as voters in the city despite their questionable residency.
