Squatters, policemen clash
TENSION RISES IN SITIO RUSSIA
NO demolition, only relocation.
This was stressed by City Legal Officer George Mejia, as he clarified the circumstances that led to a violent clash between informal settlers and the policemen accompanying a team from the city government armed with crow bars and hammers and wearing head gears at Sitio Russia in Barangay Bonuan Binloc last June 15.
Mejia claimed that the team was entering the site when squatters barred their way with two toppled down basketball boards that they used to push back the truncheon-bearing policemen.
At least six persons were hurt and four persons were arrested in that incident, a repeat of last year’s clash when a team from the city government first attempted to demolish shanties in Sitio Russia to give way to the construction of a P100 million Sea Food Processing Plant.
Denying that the team was there on Monday to demolish houses, Mejia explained that the team was sent to help at some 14 families who volunteered to be relocated to the Gawad Kalinga-Bangusville II in Sitio Korea, built by the city government as a relocation site.
The team was composed of personnel from the City Engineering Office and the Waste Management Division.
The policemen were led by P/Supt. Jesus Verzosa, police chief, while the engineering team was led by City Engineer Virginia Rosario.
Also on hand were members of the Public Order and Safety Office led by Robert Erfe Mejia.
With the help of a boom truck from the city government, the blockade was removed and the resistance of the squatters was temporarily subdued, enabling the team from the city government to finally enter Sitio Russia.
The city government succeeded in relocating the 14 families on Monday.
Mejia said the team from the city government was still at Sitio Russia on Tuesday to help relocate other squatters who expressed willingness to move out to the Gawad Kalinga-Bangusville II, the relocation site.
However, the 14 families that have moved to the site with few belongings are afraid to return for the rest of their remaining belongings for fear of being harmed by their neighbors who stayed and who branded them “snakes” and “traitors”.
Meanwhile, Fr. Oliver Mendoza, parish priest of San Fabian who was designated by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz to help the informal settlers negotiate with the city government, said the violence that happened was pointless.
Explaining the continued resistance of the informal settlers, he said the latter is seeking for status quo because they believe that the land they are occupying is a public land owned by the national government administered through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and not the city government, and therefore the city government has no authority to drive them away from a land which it does not own.
Barangay chairman Ronaldo Torio earlier confirmed that there are many squatters willing to be relocated but are afraid to come out in the open for fear of harassment from those who are still resisting.
“As far as we are concerned, there is no more problem there (with the other squatters) since our men are already at the site,” Mejia said on Tuesday.
When asked what the city hall will do if the other squatters refuse to relocate, Mejia said the area will be cleared and fenced and all materials of demolished houses will be deposited at the premises of the Bonuan Binloc Barangay Hall.
Mejia confirmed that the construction of the seafood processing plant is really set to start on July 1 and that the pre-fabricated buildings, including equipment, are arriving on or before that date.
At the same time, Mejia confirmed that the civil case filed by Sitio Russia Neighborhood Association is still under preliminary hearing at the sala of Judge Genoveva Maramba of Branch 44 of the Regional Trial Court and that no injunction was issued against the city government.
The case seeks to declare the nullity of contract signed by the city government and the Korean government.
Definitely, the case is going nowhere, Mejia said, because the plaintiffs were seeking injunction from the court to stop the execution of the contract, when in fact there is no really such thing (contract) to speak of.
On the other hand, National Integrated Fisheries and Technology Development Center chief Westly Rosario said the Koreans who will build the project are under contract to finish the same in December and cannot afford any more delay.
Rosario, who was privy to the negotiation between the Korean International Cooperation Agency and the city government, said the Koreans intend to finish the project in four months.–LM
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