SETTLERS of the Osmeña Shrine in Barangay Kalunasan want Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to provide relocation for them before City Hall tears down their houses.
Randy Sabucido, vice president of the Association of People’s Initiatives, said they were left homeless after the Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (Probe) started another clearing operation in the property since Tuesday.
“If the City will really use the lot, we are pleading to our mayor that relocation will be provided to us before Probe will demolish our houses,” he told reporters.
Sabucido said it was hard for them to deal with the demolition since Probe has no demolition order from the court.
He said Probe only presented to them a clearing order from the mayor, after the 72-hour notice from the Probe office lapsed.
The families, however, still wants that they be allowed to stay inside the Osmeña Shrine.
“We will never lose hope that we will be allowed to construct our houses in the area because we don’t own any lots in the city,” Sabucido said.
Yesterday, some of the affected families went to Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and sought his help.
Labella advised them to hire a lawyer so they can file the necessary legal remedies.
Although he is a lawyer, he said it will be hard for him to assist the families in a legal battle because it will be a conflict of interest.
Councilor Jose Daluz III, who was present when the settlers visited, said they can only give assistance to them once the complaints are filed against the people who violated their rights when the demolition was implemented.
As the clearing operations inside the shrine continued yesterday, the families also planned to visit the Evangelical Coalition of Cebu Inc., (ECCI) who is reportedly the new owner of the lot.
Daluz said the City Government no longer owns the 42,687-square-meter property after it was donated to ECCI in 2010. He showed a copy of the deed of donation.
ECCI would have wanted to use the property as cemetery but some of the neighboring community opposed it.
Since such proposal did not push through, Sabucido said they are hoping that they will be allowed to stay in the area.
“It would be better if they give us, the living, a chance to live there,” he said.
