Tom: Fire not an excuse to evict lot settlers

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday said that as a matter of policy he would not allow victims to be displaced from their homes because of fire.

This, as he signed last Monday an executive order adopting a set for guidelines for the city’s Department of Social Welfare and Development in assisting those in crisis situations.

As contained in the order, all fire victims in the city who are structure owners would now get P20,000 instead of just P10,000 in cash assistance from City Hall.

For renters, lessees, sharers or tenants of destroyed homes, they will get P10,000 each, which is also a 100 percent increase compared to the previous aid of just P5,000.

The first ones to get the higher cash aid are the fire victims in barangays Apas, Duljo-Fatima, and Suba, among others.

“It’s going to be an across the board policy. All. Walay pili-pili,” Osmeña said.

He said he would also give the usual burial assistance to the bereaved family of a person with disability who died in a fire incident in Barangay Apas the other day.

The fire site is owned by the Cebu Province, which has plans of evicting the residents The mayor said fire should not be a reason to displace the families.

“I cannot accept as a matter of public policy that a fire will be used as an excuse for eviction because we might get more fires especially if the owner is not living there,” he told reporters.

Apas Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman said the Cebu Province is still evaluating if the structure owners will be allowed to rebuild their houses.

Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor head Geneveive Alcoseba said there are three homeowners association affected in the fire.

“Ang problema namo ana is signing man ugma sa land swap. Wala na giapil sa swap kay wala na gi-give in sa province kay during the time of former Governor Pabling Garcia, kana sila part sa IT master plan,” she said.

Alcoseba said these families affected by fire were originally planned to be relocated in another province-owned lot near M. Velez Street because of the possible expansion of the IT Park.

In a separate interview, however, Provincial Legal Officer Orvi Ortega clarified 87 house owners in CRCI (Cebu Rehabilitation Center Inc.), Apas, where the fire happened, were really set to be relocated because they will be directly affected by a development project there. Of the 87 families, 76 were victims of the Monday afternoon fire.

He said that of the 87, at least 11 were the first priority for relocation because they would be directly affected by a road development next year. Of the 11, five were among the fire victims whose homes were destroyed in the fire.

He said that even before the unfortunate event, the province, through its Real Estate Section, was already talking to the 87 families, who all agreed to be relocated in Barangay Kalunasan.

He was referring to the agreement involving the Capitol; Filinvest Land Inc.; and Cebu Property Ventures Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Ayala-led Cebu Holdings Incorporated.

Under the agreement, which was signed yesterday, the Capitol committed to provide CPVDC additional access roads to and from its properties in Apas through Salinas Drive and Governor Cuenco Avenue, following its conflict with FLI over road-right-of-way at the IT Park.

The Provincial Board last year granted Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III authority to sign the agreements on behalf of the province with the two real estate giants.

Ortega said the province-owned lot that is now a fire site would soon be cleared to pave the way for the development.

“I-clear up ang area sa nasunogan. Ang city mo-undertake ana kay wa man tay heavy equipment. But, mo-approach ang province sa 53rd Engineering Brigade (of the Philippine Army). Kun makahulam ang province og ekipo, there’s no need for the city to rent a bulldozer,” he said.

Ortega said the province will take care of the relocation site for the 87 households, while that for the remaining affected residents will be arranged by the city government, as initially discussed in yesterday’s closed door meeting.

The meeting was attended by Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino, Provincial Engineer Hector Jamora, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., Consultant on Real Properties Paul Entera, Capitol Civil Security Unit head Bobby Legaspi, Apas Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman, Executive Assistant to the Mayor Francisco "Bimbo" Fernandez, and  Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor’s Joan Loreto.

Ortega said a non-government organization offered to cater to the occupants at the relocation site, but not for free.

The relocation site has already been subdivided into 40-square-meter house lots, with each square meter costing P1,680. (FREEMAN)