Demolition peaceful

CEBU, Philippines - The demolition of four houses along the Mahiga Creek in sitio Marna, barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City went on smoothly yesterday.

In the presence of barangay Subangdaku captain Ernie Manatad, staff of the demolition team, and the City Engineering team, the owners themselves tore down their houses as they had promised the previous day.

The city government has allowed the families remain in the area on the condition that they move back three or more meters from the bank of the creek.

Manatad assured the families that they will be among those who will be relocated to a 6.5-hectare housing site in barangay Paknaan.

The houses torn down belonged to Marissa Manayon, Lourdes Juresamo, Nonoy Custodio, and Daniel Carollo, all members of the Mahiga Residence and Neighborhood Association (MARNA), an organization of informal settlers at Mahiga Creek, which borders Mandaue and Cebu cities.

On the other hand, families who live near a creek in sitio Sapa-Sapa, in the same barangay, might not be allowed to remain in the area once their houses are demolished for the reason that there's no more room for them to move back at least three meters from the creek because a business establishment there is putting up a perimeter fence.

In case the families here can't be accommodated in the Paknaan relocation site, Amelita Chiefe, MARNA's president, said her members would be counting on the non-governmental organization Philippine Action for Community Led Shelter Initiative (PACSI) who assured the association's 73 members that it would look for a place for them.

Chiefe said each member saves P250 per month for their monthly dues, a portion of which will go to their urban poor development fund.

Marissa Manayon, one of the members, said now that her house has been demolished, she would lose more than 10 renters who paid P800 for a small room and P1,000 for a bigger one. Her renters were mostly sales ladies who work at a mall. (FREEMAN)