Bloodshed looms in Malabon squatters’ area demolition

A bloody confrontation is feared to erupt on privately-owned land illegally occupied by close to 4,000 families in Malabon City as their houses are set to be demolished anytime today on orders of the local court and affirmed by the Supreme Court even as all concerned await the decision of the court on a petition of the city government to maintain the status quo.

The displaced families have nowhere to go in the absence of any relocation site and are determined to defend every inch of the property in question. But the landowners are just as adamant to boot them out of their property.

This developed as Malabon City Mayor Canuto Oreta, in a last ditch effort to avert bloodshed, intervened in the dispute petitioning the Malabon Metropolitan Trial Court (Branch 56), to stay the demolition of the houses illegally sitting on the 5.8-hectare property owned by the Gazon family along Letre Road in Barangay Tonsuya, Malabon City.

The petition, if given weight by the court, will give breathing space for the squatter families of some four months before the demolition is finally carried out.

The issue further takes on a political twist, and with far ranging consequences, with the involvement of the organized Left on the case.

The residents are direct beneficiaries of peace talks between the national government and the Rebolusyunaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas (RPMP) and the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) chaired by Nilo de la Cruz held during the term of deposed President Joseph Estrada.

Antonio Criss Jr., chairman of the Barangay Tonsuya and spokesperson for the residents of Kapisanang Diwa ng Maralita (KADIMA), Damayang Maralita ng Tahanan (DAMATA) and Lakas Maralita ng Tonsuya, homeowners associations along Letre Road where the property is located, said they are negotiating for expropriation of the disputed property or if this is not possible, in-city relocation would be fine by them.

The group’s petition for expropriation filed by the administration of former acting mayor Mark Allan Jay Yambao in 2004, had earlier been dismissed on a technicality by the Malabon RTC last Jan. 31, "for lack of interest" on the part of the city government.

The STAR gathered that the court notice was received by a resigned city legal officer, and therefore an unauthorized person.

The battle lines are already drawn, sources, who requested anonymity, said.

"Violence and the probable loss of lives are inevitable. The court decision (on Oreta’s petition) is crucial. There has been a certification of finality before the SC from the MTC. The SC order is final and executory," the source said.

In an earlier interview, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) chairman Percival Chavez virtually said there is nothing more the settlers can do but leave.

"In my 27 years in the business, I’ve never seen a case like this flourishing," said Chavez when asked on the likelihood that the Gozons will capitulate. Criss told The STAR it is almost certain that blood will flow if the demolition team of the landowners persist in demolishing their homes. He expressed hope it will not come to that. The court decision on the city government’s petition was expected to be issued by Judge Quintin late yesterday, the city legal office told The STAR.

"Sana huwag nang umabot sa ganito. Magiging madugo ito. Pero nakahanda kami," Criss told The STAR.

He said he had gathered that the local sheriffs have began recruiting members of the demolition crew.