40 families sued for building their houses on “sidewalks”

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — At least 40 families, who survived super typhoon Yolanda, have been slapped with criminal charges before the Tacloban City Prosecutor’s Office for violation of a city ordinance against illegal use of sidewalks.

Dionisio Balame Jr., president of the Yolanda Survivors Community Association, confirmed to The Freeman that 40 of the group’s member-families have been sued by the city government, through the Office of the City Engineer Dionesio de Paz.

Balame said the members, who are all residents of Jones Street at Barangay 2, this city, have been accused of violating City Ordinance 98-08 or the illegal use of sidewalks.

The filing of the criminal charges against YSCA members, said Belame, came after these families rebuilt their houses damaged by Yolanda on November 8, 2013, and then applied for electrical re-connection with the electric cooperative, which was later denied by De Paz.

Balame, however, shrugged off the criminal charges filed against his members, contending that their houses stand on a lot formerly owned by the United States government and not by the Tacloban City government. Besides the houses were not built on the sidewalk, he argued further.

In a related development, City Prosecutor Ruperto Golong Jr. said the case against one of the accused, Jose Fernandez, was dismissed for lack of probable cause after the city building official failed to attach a sketch of Fernandez’ house showing the alleged encroachment. (FREEMAN)