Ejercito dips hands into Cebu issues

San Juan Mayor Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito yesterday dipped his hands into concerns facing Cebu regarding its hosting of the 12th Asean Summit in December.

Ejercito, a son of ousted president Joseph Estrada and widely believed to be interested in a Senate seat, visited Cebu City yesterday and surprised everyone in a press conference at the Sacred Heart Center by declaring that he will be taking the cudgels for squatters and vendors who may be evicted and relocated in connection with preparations for the summit.

Branding the Arroyo administration as " a government that is only concerned with its image, " Ejercito promised to see what he can do to help by looking into the details of the government's program for the affected residents and see if there is going to be a permanent housing project for them.

Ejercito was to meet some of Cebu City's urban poor leaders in a roundtable discussion yesterday afternoon, with self-proclaimed urban poor leader Edward Ligas saying he is going to request the San Juan mayor to initiate the conduct of a national meeting of urban poor sectors here in Cebu.

" It's not that we're taking advantage of this but we do not want to encourage demolitions of squatters just to serve an event. The government is more concerned about its image than the plight of the people affected, " Ejercito said.

He said he had wanted to raise the matter with Cebu archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal but failed to do so because of the numerous other things he took up with the prelate during his visit earlier in the morning. Vidal has been a close family fried of the Estrada family.

The perceived " intrusion " into Cebu matters that are outside his turf swiftly drew reactions from local leaders.

" Imbis nga moabli lang siya sa iyang baba, motabang na lang unta siya ( Instead of opening his mouth, he ought to just help ), " said Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano, a member of the Cebu Organizing Committee for the Asean Summit and whose local government has been relocating squatters.

Ouano defended his city's program on squatters, saying it is not just a matter of evicting but of relocating.

" It has been an ongoing program of the Mandaue City government to provide informal settlers with decent housing. In fact, it is only Mandaue City that has been able to provide a comprehensive housing program that provides not only power, drainage and other services but also a livelihood component, " Ouano told The Freeman.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena could not be reached for comment but the City Hall public information officer, Nagiel Banacia, who represents Osmena in the Cebu Organizing Committee for the Asean Summit, said Ejercito may have been misinformed into making assumptions.

" It is a sweeping generalization. It has been the policy of Osmena not to dislocate residents just because of the summit. Even vendors in the streets will not be removed just because they look ugly. Those who have been removed were removed because they have become a nuisance. They prevented the smooth flow of pedestrians and traffic, " Banacia said.

As part of preparations for the Asean Summit, a large number of squatters will have to be removed and relocated.

In Mandaue City, where the Cebu International Convention Center, the main summit venue, is located, at least 208 families will be relocated to the proposed Paradise Island Housing Project which will involve the construction of two five-story buildings.

Another 360 families living in shanties at the back of the CICC will be relocated to Canduman as part of the beautification efforts of the Mandaue City government for the summit.

In Cebu City, at least 138 informal settlers will be ordered to move out of their homes that are in the way road rehabilitation projects as part of summit preparations. In addition, 170 families at the port are have also been ordered to move out.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Marciano Paynor, chairman of the National Organizing Committee for the Asean Summit, said one of the direct effects to be derived by Cebu from the summit is the amount of financial benefits that will be pouring in. - with Joeberth M. Ocao