OVER 80 urban poor families in Lapu-Lapu City are on the verge of losing their homes, as owners of the private-owned lot in Barangay Gun-ob will now use the property.
However, the City government is setting interventions to assist and ensure the safety and security of the affected families.
Gun-ob Barangay Captain Carl Weigel said a total of 85 urban poor families from Purok Lemonsito in the barangay raised their concerns during the final consultation meeting earlier this month, which mainly involved the well-being of their children attending school.
“Ang main concern is their children (The main concern of the residents is their children.) Unsaon nila kay luoy kay’ng mga bata bun-og kaayo sila sa skwela, then layo kaayo (the children are overworked with school and then the distance is far),” said Weigel in a phone interview with SunStar Cebu on Monday, Aug. 19.
Weigel also explained that one of the City’s humanitarian interventions is to extend the demolition date as the given timeline is insufficient for building houses.
City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, in an exclusive interview on Monday, confirmed that he sent an appeal through the lot owner’s attorney for an extension of the demolition that was supposed to be set on Oct. 31, 2024, to be moved on May 16, 2025.
“The demolition is put on hold in a sense that we are trying to appeal to the owner if it’s possible that we could do it after the school year,” said Chan in Cebuano.
“We would try to let them understand number one, the children still have ongoing classes. Secondly, the financial assistance, we will give to the 85 households will undergo a process and the City is the one who will find a place for their relocation,” he added.
As of Monday, Chan disclosed that he is still waiting on the owner’s decision on the City’s demolition date extension request.
In a separate interview, Celestino Aying, chairman of the committee of the urban poor, said that the City will provide cash assistance to the families that will be affected which will amount to a minimum of P15,000 each.
Aying added that the families will be relocated to one of the City’s socialized housing projects in Barangay Canjulao wherein they will be prioritized.
Aying said the City follows the policy of, “No demolition without relocation and no demolition without disturbance fee.”
Hence, the lot owner will also extend assistance by giving P15,000 to every affected household, he said.
“We will relocate them in Barangay Canjulao and we want to personally dismantle the houses so the materials will be recycled by the families,” said Aying in Cebuano.
Families will also receive assistance through the City Social Welfare and Development providing food for three days breakfast to dinner while they are in the process of being relocated.
Earlier in 2018, a court order was issued for the residents to vacate the lot but the City Government and the private lot owner agreed to allow the occupants to stay in the latter’s property for another six years.
However, the private lot owner had sold the property to a new owner, who has now expressed intent to utilize the property.