A RESIDENT of Barangay 26-C, Salmonan, Quezon Boulevard could only shed tears while watching her house being dismantled as authorities finally executed Monday, May 7, the writ of demolition issued by the court.
The demolition was peaceful despite initial tension and resistance from some affected residents. Three settlers were held following the commotion.
Namrayda Amerol, 50, a street vendor and a Maranao living in the contested lot, was crying while they were transferring their things from their house.
They temporarily placed their things at the Mini Forest Boulevard covered court, Davao City, which is supposed to be a polling center for the May 14 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
She said they were surprised to see the policemen blocking the highway Monday. With that, they were not able to prepare to leave their homes. She went emotional with the idea that their home is gone and there is no certainty as to where they would be staying.
Amerol said she had been living in the area since she was 12 and that the place was where she was raised by her parents. It is the same place where she gave birth and raised her 12 children.
She said there was no relocation site or financial assistance offered to them. She, however, said they will just stay at the covered court temporarily.
“Wala mi kapuy-an, walay relatives. Diri nalang mi matulog (We have no relatives where we could stay. We’ll just sleep here in the court),” she said.
Amerol, a widow, also said that her income in selling DVDs and assorted accessories would not be enough to rent a decent home. She usually earns P300 per day for her whole family including her grandchildren.
“Walay marentahan kay taga adlaw P300 dili man to makabuhi. Naa pay sakit akong mga anak, pampalit pa tambal so wala na gyud. Dili na kaigo ang P300 (We could not rent a place with P300 daily income. My kids are sick and will need to buy medicines so there would be nothing left),” she said.
She also frets over her grandchildren who are going to school this June. One of her children was recently discharged from the hospital.
Meanwhile, Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director Police Senior Superintendent Alexander Tagum, who was present during the execution of the writ of demolition notice, said the demolition was peaceful and orderly despite some commotion and slight resistance from the informal settlers.
He said as early as 4 a.m. Monday, they deployed some 1,500 personnel composed of policemen, volunteer police auxiliary, and soldiers from Task Force Davao (TFD) to facilitate the demolition team and ensure that there would be no violent action to occur.
“Alam naman natin na may possible resistance and so yon ang dahilan kaya even before 8 o’clock, which is the time para mag start yong demolition, eh siniguro na natin na inunahan na natin itong mga informal resident na makaporma,” he said.
(We knew there would be resistance so we deployed our men before 8 a.m. Monday.)
They have designated personnel in the general perimeter, outer perimeter, and inner perimeter of Barangay 26-C to avoid the entry of those who would try to stop the demolition in the contested 3,515-square meter lot.
“Pinalibutan na natin para tulad ng sinabi ko sa kanila kanina, they are here to ensure the security and safety of everyone regardless if you are the member of the demolition team or members of the informal settlers na naga-claim nitong area,” he said.
They proceeded with the activity after the residents were not able to present the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that would stop them from carrying out the demolition activity.
“Ilang beses po nating hinanap sa kanila mula alas singko. Nakausap natin ang lider nila na si Deputy Mayor Randy Usman at Baranagay Kapitan Wating, ng makakapigil lamang sa amin is kung makakapagpakita sila ng Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), unfortunately, up to the last moment, wala po silang naipakita,” he added.
Meanwhile, there were three members of the illegal occupants who were arrested by the security officers after they tried to resist the demolition.
“Around three of them and huwag kayong mag-alala, as far as they are concerned, my instruction to my commanders is that i-hold lang sila for protective custody para hindi na sila makalaban or hindi na sila makapag sow ng violence dito sa area,” Tagum said.
“Kung tolerable naman why not. Naunawaan naman po naming sila na sila ay mawawalan ng kanilang bahay ngayong araw and so we will exercise maximum tolerance,” he said.
Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) Commissioner Norman Baloro, who was also present during the enforcement of the demolition, cited that it was generally peaceful with no untoward incident. There was no inhumane action taken during the implementation that would violate human rights.
He also said the demolition will run for three days and will only be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Prior to the demolition, they already had an inter-agency dialogue with other government agencies but residents were adamant as they remained strong with their stand not to give in. He added that residents were informed of the demolition, belying reports saying otherwise.
“It was well represented as there is no reason na sabihin natin na nagkaroon ng deprivation of their information to know if this demolition will be implemented,” he said.
He added that their office cannot do anything with the court decision but merely coordinated with other agencies in order to assist the displaced families.
“The court is an independent branch of government. No one can say stop, no one can even say a statement na hindi matutuloy, wala po tayo niyan. Andito lang tayo ngayon is to look into and to monitor move forward kung ano pa ang pwdeng maitulong sa kanila,” Baloro said.
The affected residents are 67 households comprising of 34 Moro families and 33 Christian families who have settled in the area since 1953, when Salmonan was still a marshland.
However, a certain Datu Bahajin Marcos Mahadali is claiming ownership of the land and has shown a title with TCT #2013002121 allegedly from OCT #40. But the residents claimed that the title is in "Barrio Tugbok, Lianga, Davao City" and not in Salmonan.
On March 27, Salmonan residents received the final notice of demolition that was issued on March 3 and earlier last April 17, a tension aroused as resident barricaded the one lane of the street as they prepared for the execution of the writ of demolition in the area, which did not push through.
As early as April 8, 2018, Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio had said that the city has been trying to reach out to the residents as it is aware of the land dispute.
But the residents refused to be part of the census and tagging of the City Housing Unit of the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) for relocation after demolition. Thus, the mayor merely offered legal assistance should the residents continue to resist the demolition order.