Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Councilmen want to evict village hall occupants By Raymond C. Garcia
STO. TOMAS -- Six village councilmen here wants the people occupying the barangay and multi-purpose hall in Barangay San Bartolome to vacate the premises in order to use the building for more important purposes.
"I think it's high time now that the settlers inside the hall must go and find a place to properly house themselves," said barangay councilman Rodrigo Tuazon.
Tuazon said it is already been three years now since the settlers occupied the barangay and multi-purpose hall.
Other councilmen who support Tuazon's claim are Noel Tuazon, Rufino Dizon, Paul Gorospe, Jun Tayag and Magat Pangilinan.
"I was able to talk with the five (councilmen) and they agreed to my recommendation to eject the people housed in the barangay hall," said Tuazon.
The main reason, according to Tuazon, why they want the settlers to vacate the village hall is to utilize it as offices for the Sangguning Kabataan (SK) and the senior citizens here.
Meanwhile, it was learned that the settlers were allowed to settle in the barangay hall due to perennial flooding in the area three years ago.
"They were allowed to live there because their house was submerged due to frequent flooding that takes a long time to subside," Tuazon said.
It was also learned that other families that lost their homes due to flood had been relocated at the Madapdap Resettlement Center in Mabalacat town.
However, Tuazon said through different sources, they learned that the settlers sold their houses in the resettlement site and went back to occupy the San Bartolome barangay hall.
When asked if they already brought their concern to their barangay chairman Dominador Pangilinan, Tuazon said the village chief had decided to give the settlers more time.
"The occupants have already multiplied, their offspring were already married and have children. They probably don't want to leave the barangay hall because they don't pay anything there," he said.
