Heir blocks road anew

CEBU, Philippines - For the second time around, an heir of the Remedio clan in sitio Pilit in barangay Cabancalan barricaded Tuesday evening the 50-meter access road, which leads to the Cabancalan bridge.

The road, which serves an alternate route for private vehicles going to Cebu City, was planted with three fully grown banana plants preventing vehicles from passing through.

Residents in the area sought police assistance. However, P/Insp. Ramil Morpos said his men pulled out from the area when the claimant took pictures of them last night.

The city’s demolition team was supposed to uproot the plants yesterday morning but since the lot owner resisted, the team had no choice but to leave.

When Mayor Jonas Cortes learned about the incident, he called the claimant to the lot yesterday.

However, the claimant only sent his lawyer Noel Archival to city hall.

Since it was Cortes’s birthday yesterday, he appealed to Archival that the claimant uproot the plants as a birthday gift to him, and negotiations would take place. Archival agreed.

However, city administrator James Abadia yesterday said that during the initial talks, heirs to the lot want the city to pay them P3 million more or less, based on the current market value of P3,500 per square meter.

The city is hesitant to pay the price and will go for just compensation.

The road has been used as a public road for many years already and this was tolerated by the family.

Abadia said if the Remedio heirs won’t agree with the city’s plan to pay them for just compensation, then their other option is to open a new road.

“Katolo liko man diay nang dalana before ka moabot sa Cabangcalan bridge since naa may private property nga gi-donate ngadto sa city kilid sa ilang gi-claim kadto na lang atong himoan ug dan although makuhaan dyapon ang portion sa ilang property (referring to the Remedio property) nga nakapangan sa ilang lolo nga si Tomas. Siguro kadto na lang atong paliton based on the current market value,” Abadia said.

He said the city will not pay for the property based on its current market value since it will serve as a precedent.

Two weeks ago, the same road was also barricaded by the claimant with plywood and sacks filled with sand along with a sign that read “This is private property.” – THE FREEMAN