Thursday, December 20, 2007 120 cops secure demolition By Allan I. Varquez Sun.Star Staff Reporter
TWO members of a Mandaue City Hall demolition team were injured in yesterday’s demolition of houses in a private lot in Barangay Pagsabungan, Mandaue City.
Police Insp. Alfredo Ortiz said tension engulfed the place yesterday, but they kept the situation under control with the help of 120 policemen he requested from the six police precincts in the city.
Except to say that the two were hit by stones, Ortiz gave no other details of the incident.
Police went to the site of the demolition to accompany the court sheriff, City Hall personnel, and workers hired by the private lot owner at 9 a.m. to implement the court’s demolition order.
Seventy houses were to be torn down but because the court order limited demolition up to 3 p.m., the group tore down only 18 structures. They are scheduled to resume demolition today.
Ortiz, who is the chief of operations of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), said they failed in two previous attempts to implement the demolition order because of resistance from affected families.
He said they planned yesterday’s demolition in secret to surprise the residents.
“Monday pa mi nag-planning ani kay in two attempts grabe ang resistance ug kon amo i-pwersa daghan gyod ang ma injured,” he said. (We’ve been planning for this since Monday because of the resistance to the two previous attempts. Had we forced the demolition, many would have been hurt.)
The security force for yesterday’s demolition team included members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat), police personnel and commanders of every precinct in Mandaue City.
Former barangay captain Cirilo Congson said the property has long been the subject of a dispute between the heirs of Christobal Perez and two urban poor organizations, Nagkahiusang Kusog sa Katawhan sa Pagsabungan and ANAKMA.
Congson said that after the residents lost in the court battle, City Hall offered them a relocation site. The residents, however, refused to relocate. (AIV)
