Thursday, June 28, 2007 ‘All to have roofs over their heads’
NO occupants, whether families or government agencies, will be left without a roof over their heads when the Capitol recovers lands affected by Ordinance 93-1, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia reiterated yesterday.
Also, negotiations between the Province and the occupants will start on July 5, when the technical working committee that Garcia created to take care of the issue is scheduled to meet with barangay officials and homeowners’ association presidents of Barrio Luz.
“The mayor seems to have a very short memory,” said Garcia, after Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña was quoted as saying he would fight for the lot occupants’ interests.
“We will do everything aron way malabay sa daplin nga pamilya nga walay kapaingnan (so that families will not be displaced, with nowhere to go),” she added.
Less than 4T
She further clarified that the number of affected families is less than the 4,000 that Osmeña keeps repeating.
There were 4,358 beneficiaries of Province-owned lots distributed to occupants across 11 bara-ngays in Cebu City, but 1,430 of them have fully paid their dues on time.
That leaves 2,928 beneficiaries who failed to pay that the Capitol promised to attend to.
Provincial Board committee on properties chairman Juan Bolo said after their meeting yesterday that they now have the needed data on Barrio Luz, so they are ready to answer questions from occupants in that barangay.
There are 10 homeowners’ associations they would have to deal with, aside from the barangay officials.
Bolo said they decided not to meet occupants from all barangays at one time because the meeting might get unruly.
After Barrio Luz, where 1,205 families are affected, the Capitol will also start talking with 1,373 affected beneficiaries in Barangay Lahug on July 12.
Solutions
The next meeting will be with officials and residents of Busay, with 379 affected beneficiaries.
“We will inform them of their status, we will answer questions,” said Bolo.
Capitol consultant on information Rory Jon Sepulveda, a member of the technical committee reviewing the Ordinance 93-1 issue, said they will look for solutions.
“We will keep an open mind. We will listen to them. Together, we will find ways how to concretize the administration’s policy to give them roofs over their heads, apil pa ang bungbong ug bintana (including walls and windows),” said Sepulveda.
“I hope they will also come with open minds, with no fear, because there is no attempt to place them in the streets and hopefully they will not prejudge us,” he added. (JPM)
