Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Council okays extension of relocation near Camp Panacan
THE Davao City council has approved a resolution asking the Philippine Navy to extend the relocation time frame given to the residents affected by the camp expansion.
Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, proponent of the resolution, said the residents, about 140 families, have sought the City Council's help after being ordered to vacate the premises on May 31, 2008 to facilitate the expansion of the Navy Camp.
"Nagpuyo ni sila inside the Camp Panacan grounds and these are families of former soldiers who rendered service to the country, thus deserving consideration," Dayanghirang said in Tuesday's interview.
He explained that these families have been there for a long period of time. "These are mostly from Luzon who were assigned here when the camp first started operations. The order to vacate the area without ample time to look for relocations would be hard for them especially with limited resources. All the Navy could offer are vehicles and manpower to help in the transfer so we need to find a place for them," said Dayanghirang.
At the suggestion of Vice-Mayor Sara Z. Duterte, the extension asked for was until December 31, 2008 to give the city government, the Navy and concerned agencies ample time to plan and implement necessary assistance.
"The Navy cannot demolish them until there is a relocation site. That is under the law," Dayanghirang said, adding that the concerned parties are set to hold a dialogue within the week in order to fast track the process. (GLP)
