Candles for a peaceful demolition

As a sign of their support, the Cebu Solidarity with Urban Poor lit candles as a symbol of their prayers and untiring sacrifice for the realization of the vision that every urban poor be given the right to a decent abode. 

Last September 14, 2012 at 10:00 – 11:00 in the morning, the newly launched Cebu Solidarity with the Urban Poor, initiated a solidarity program with the 32 households facing demolition in Barangay Luz, Cebu City in front of the 5-storey building allegedly owned by the president of Sitio Mabuhay Homeowners Association who is also one of those who push for the demolition and one of the ‘assumee’ of some households targeted for demolition.

The said program was participated in by more than a hundred individuals including the affected households, priests, nuns, seminarians and lay people.

The solidarity called to:  “Defend the right to a humane abode”; “Denounce the technicalities of the law and politics within the Cebu City Council”; “Expose professional squatting to the public”; “Jesus’ being born in a manger must not happen again.”

The solidarity also called for a dialogue between the affected 32 households and the Homeowners’ Associations of Sitios Nangka, Lubi, and Mabuhay of Barangay Luz who are pushing for the demolition.

In Metro Cebu, there about more than 30,000 households facing demolition; because of this, the solidarity made a unity statement calling to stop the demolition and for dialogue between the local government and the affected sectors in Cebuano society.