Labella’s commendable move

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella’s move in the ongoing court-ordered demolition of 70 structures in Sitio Avocado, Barangay Lahug, is commendable.

Instead of grandstanding, Labella the other day simply requested the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu administration to suspend the demolition until the relocation site is ready. Yet, he has shown that he respects the court order that gave legal imprimatur to the demolition.

A court earlier ruled in the civil case for forcible entry filed by UP Cebu that residents in the 4,000-square-meter property have no right to occupy the land owned by UP.

The land is prime property and, therefore, it is quite understandable that many of its illegal settlers hesitate or do not want to leave the place. The property, after all, has easy access and proximity to major roads and services in the city.

But the court has ruled already with finality in favor of UP, amid dilatory motions by the defendants. UP has the right to occupy the land where it plans to build a new UP High School Cebu building. This project of UP Cebu has been held off for so long because of the presence of informal settlers with their concrete houses standing on school property.

Mayor Labella visited the demolition site late afternoon Thursday. He has arranged to put tents over the heads of residents who stayed encamped in the area for two nights already. He did not barge into the UP campus to lecture its administrators about the plight of the informal settlers. Nor did he threaten any UP official just so he could project himself as the champion of the masses.

The mayor, a lawyer, may be sympathetic to the plight of the informal settlers in Sitio Avocado, but he knows enough to respect the orders of the court.

He simply did the next best thing that he could do – offer to improve the existing relocation site of the residents in Barangay Busay. In a report by The FREEMAN yesterday, Labella said the city will pave the access road of the relocation site. The city will also ensure that electricity and water connections are there before the evicted families will move there.

As of Wednesday evening, six houses or buildings were already taken down at the end of the first day of demolition, according to UP Cebu’s independent and student-run publication Tug-ani. The demolition might take several more days because many of the structures are made of concrete and steel. Those beside the road, in particular, are actually concrete buildings apparently also used for commercial purposes.

A report by Sun.Star Cebu newspaper revealed that many of the houses in Sitio Avocado were already sub-let by their original occupants, some for commercial use, according to a socio-economic survey conducted by the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor.

UP’s property in the Kamputhaw and Lahug area is actually very big, covering an area of around 140,000 square meters. It was donated by the Province of Cebu to UP in the 1960s for educational purposes.

Lack of both budget and foresight hindered the UP system from further fencing off most of the portions it left unoccupied. These eventually fell into the hands of enterprising people (unscrupulous actually) who either built houses and shops there, or arranged for others to occupy portions for some consideration.

Not all informal settlers in the land owned by UP in Kamputhaw and Lahug are poor. Many are like you and me, living comfortably enough but still literally earning from our own sweat.

There are some informal settlers I know in UP’s Kamputhaw and Lahug property who own properties in Cebu City and just rent the houses in their occupied parcels to student boarders. Twice I saw an SUV of one of the occupants parked at the side of the road. She came to visit her boarding house standing on the patch of UP’s property that she’s squatting.

Those things are hard to ignore and sometimes create resentment among those who are faithfully respecting property laws. That is why there is a recourse in the court of law.

Still, that should not distract us from the problem of prevalent lack of proper housing for the urban poor – the underprivileged and the homeless. This is a good time to ask our city officials: What are the city’s long-term plans and programs for our poor citizens who need secure and accessible housing where they can live in dignity and peace?