Violence erupts during demolition of shanties in QC

Trouble erupted yesterday morning when informal settlers protested the dismantling of their shanties on a privately owned land in New Manila, Quezon City.

Superintendent Carlito Feliciano, commander of the Quezon City Police District Station 11, said two policemen and a civilian who was part of the demolition team sustained minor injuries when an unidentified resident threw a pillbox explosive. He could not readily identify the three who were injured. No one among the residents was hurt, he said.

Feliciano said that at 9 a.m., a demolition team from the Quezon City local government went to demolish the shanties on Sixth and Seventh streets in New Manila after the property owner, identified only as “Mr. Neri,” secured a court order and asked for the city government’s help.

However, some 300 residents were up in arms, claiming that they have been regularly paying rent in exchange for their stay in the property. After the scuffle caused by the thrown pillbox, the police negotiated and were able to convince the informal settlers to “just go to court and secure a TRO (temporary restraining order),” Feliciano said. The actual dismantling of the shanties began at 3 p.m. – Reinir Padua