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Thursday, October 23, 2008
10 men nabbed at Times Beach demolition
By Grace L. Plata
DAVAO CITY -- Ten men were arrested for trying to attack police and demolition team members while eight newly built wooden houses off the entrance of Times Beach in Matina were leveled Wednesday.
Claimants of the controversial lot off the entrance of Times Beach scared off policemen and the demolition team on Tuesday with wooden clubs.
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Ten men were put behind bars for trying to attack the police and the demolition team, while another was injured.
The police said DM Consunji owns the lot that is also being claimed by descendants of Datu Buhisan Salik.
In Wednesday's demolition, however, there were 20 members of the demolition team from the City Engineer's Office (CEO) accompanied by 30 policemen with high-powered guns.
The eight houses built of wood and sawali (woven bamboo) were torn down with much resistance from those guarding the houses.
But those who put up a fight, armed with wooden clubs, bolos, and rocks, were handcuffed and hauled off to the Talomo Police Precinct.
According to Senior Police Officer 1 Mario Tutor of the Talomo Police, 10 men are now detained at the station, while one was sent to the Davao Medical Center due to minor wounds.
A member of the demolition team, who refused to give his name, said it was easier for them to demolish the houses with the additional men Wednesday.
Last Tuesday, the owners of the illegal structures who carried bolos and wooden sticks, determined to fight off the demolition team, outnumbered them.
The demolition team last Tuesday was composed only of 10 members, with 15 police escorts.
Tutor said they decided to leave the area on Tuesday since they were outnumbered and pushing the demolition that time would be chaotic.
The structures, he said, while prevalently made of wood, already had some concrete parts.
The claimant, Datu Salik, and those claiming to be his kin were nowhere Wednesday.
The demolition team and the police remained at the site the whole day to fence off the property. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (October 23, 2008 issue)
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