EDITORIAL - The UP proposal

The management of University of the Philippines Cebu wants the victims of last week’s fire in Barangay Kamputhaw, Cebu City, to lease the lot if they want to return to its property that they have been occupying for decades.

In a newspaper report, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro said the university wants to use the lot for their additional facilities since the Commission on Audit is asking the school management what it would do with its lot properties.

But as a “win-win solution,” Corro said the school management will propose to the city government to lease a portion of the lot to the fire victims since it understands that the displaced residents need a place to stay. The remaining lot will be used for the school’s future expansion.

We see nothing wrong with the UP management’s proposal. The city government and the fire victims themselves should understand that for decades, the school has failed to utilize its lot property because of the occupants.

For the university, it is high time to develop the lot now that it is already vacant following the fire. We all know that the school management has never lifted a finger to try to remove the occupants of its lot since it respects their presence and does not want to displace them.

However, the university’s proposal will only sideline the fire victims further. They have just lost their homes and the idea of leasing to them the lot they have been occupying for years will only add to their problem.

The problem is that prior to the December 5 fire, the city government, the barangay, and the lot occupants did not make any effort to make UP donate the lot to the city or to look for a relocation site for the settlers.

We cannot blame the university management if it wants to finally use the property. If the school’s proposal does not sit well with them, the best option we see for the occupants is to pack up and move on.