Residents in Zone Ahos, Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City accused private security guards of blocking them from bringing lumber and repair materials into their homes amid a property dispute.
The Mandaue City Housing and Urban Development Office stated that the City Government owns the property and its claim has no legal basis, while a private group representative said guards were deployed to prevent squatting.
Affected resident Pepello Rosas Pogado reported being unable to bring lumber to fix his wooden house, while resident Rolito Cañete stated that blocked deliveries increased expenses and some relatives received no titles after making payments.
RESIDENTS in Zone Ahos, Barangay Paknaan in Mandaue City have accused private security guards of blocking them from bringing lumber and other repair materials into their homes, bringing a long-running dispute between the City Government and a private group into their daily lives.
The Mandaue City Housing and Urban Development Office (Hudo) intervened after residents complained that guards were preventing deliveries of construction materials and requiring them to secure permission from the private group or pay additional fees.
The property is the subject of competing claims. Hudo maintains that the City Government owns the land and that the private group’s claim has no legal basis. The private group, however, says it has managed the property since 2016 and deployed guards to prevent squatting.
Among those affected is resident Pepello Rosas Pogado, who said he was unable to bring lumber into the area to repair his wooden house.
“Nagdala ko og tabla dinhi pero gusto nila ko i-report ug sige silag tudlo nako bisan wala man koy utang kanila. Sige silag tudlo nako kay dili nila pasudlon ang tabla pero nagtinguha ra ko nga ayohon akong balay. Makita ninyo nga kahoy ang among balay mao nga gusto ra nako kini ayohon,” Pogado said.
(I brought lumber here, but they wanted to report me and kept pointing at me even though I owe them nothing. They pointed at me because they wouldn’t let the wooden plank in, but I just want to repair my house. As you can see, our house is made of wood, so I just want to fix it.”)
Pogado, who has lived there since 2005, said the private group and security guards were not yet present when he moved in.
“Dugay na kaayo kini sukad 2005. Sa among pag-abot dinhi wala pa sila ug wala pay mga security guard dinhi,” Pogado said.
(This has been a long time since 2005. When we arrived here, they were not around and there were no security guards.)
Property ownership
Following complaints, Hudo Executive Assistant Ramy Inopiquez visited the site and said the dispute over deliveries had persisted for nearly three months. He said the City Government owns the property and had asked the guards not to prevent residents from bringing in materials.
He also questioned whether the guards had the required licenses and deployment documents after they failed to present them during his visit. Inopiquez said the private group’s tax declaration had previously been canceled because of violations.
Inopiquez said the City Government owns the property and that the private group’s claim has no legal basis. He said city officials had asked the guards not to prevent residents from bringing in repair materials.
He also said the private group’s tax declaration had previously been canceled because of violations.
Ryan Chong, a representative of the private group, defended the guards’ presence, saying they were hired to prevent squatting.
“Ania kami isip bahin sa pribadong sektor. Ang among instruksyon dinhi kay tungod kay dugay na mi dinhi sukad pa niadtong 2016. Sa tinuod lang, wala mi nangharas og bisan kinsa. Gipugngan lang namo ang mga tawo sa pagsquat. Mao ra kana among tuyo dinhi ug mao nga gipadala mi dinhi. Kini nga mga security guard, among gi-kontrata,” Chong said.
(We are here as part of the private sector. Our instructions are based on the fact that we have been here since 2016. In truth, we are not harassing anyone. We are only preventing people from squatting. That is our sole purpose here and why we were deployed. We contracted these security guards.)
Accusation
Chong accused residents and local officials of causing the disruption, saying his group was surprised its guards were being questioned and denying that it had harassed anyone.
The dispute has also created financial problems for residents. Rolito Cañete said he stopped making payments to the private group after learning of the City Government’s ownership claim. He said some relatives who had already paid in full were not given titles or other documents.
Cañete said blocked deliveries have increased expenses because materials had to be returned to suppliers and transported again. He said residents were willing to comply with the private group if it could present documents establishing its authority over the property.
The dispute remains unresolved, leaving residents caught between competing claims over the land. / ABC