ROXAS CITY, Philippines?Squatters on land formerly owned by the Panay Railway Inc. got a reprieve from eviction after the Court of Appeals (CA) in Cebu City granted their request for a 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) against the scheduled demolition of their houses.
In a three-page resolution dated Oct. 28, the CA?s 19th Division noted that it found the petitioners? prayer for the issuance of a temporary restraining order to be meritorious.
The squatters, through lawyer Ely Azarraga, claimed that they were lessees of the PRI lots.
Azarraga said most of the squatters have made improvements, with some costing millions of pesos, in their homes.
On Monday, authorities had to defer the demolition to prevent bloodshed after the squatters, who were armed with stone, steel and pieces of wood, put up barricades using tires and trucks. Felipe V. Celino, Inquirer Visayas
