THE 15 Philcadan settlers were beneficiaries of another relocation site in Mandaue City and could no longer avail of another 6.5-hectare relocation site in barangay Paknaan.
Cynthia Suico, community affairs officer of the Housing and Urban Development Office (HUDO), said these settlers in Philcadan, sitio Rosal, Orel Street, barangay Banilad, Mandaue City, were already beneficiaries of the sitio Pine Tree, barangay Banilad, relocation site.
Suico said 15 Philcadan settlers refused to transfer in sitio Pine Tree since they wanted to be relocated in the 6.5 hectares and wanted to get their share from the P2-million donation of San Miguel Brewery Corp.
Suico said that the donation couldn’t be divided because it was for the urban development. And besides, she said, the SMC initially only released P1 million yet.
“Dili nana namo sila ma- accommodate kay beneficiary man na namo sila sa lain nga relocation site (We could no longer accommodate them since they were already relocated by the local government),” Suico said.
“Dili pwede nga magbalhin-balhin sila ug relocation site kay mag-double-double naman ila, unya daghan pa man ang among angyan hatagan (They can’t move from one relocation site to another because there are other deserving settlers for relocation),” Suico said.
She said those who filed a complaint against the Mandaue city government at the Visayas Ombudsman were the remaining 15 Philcadan settlers while the others of the group were identified as those from the Cebu City side of the Mahiga Creek in the area.
The City Engineering Office led by engineer Roy Mangubat spent time to identify those informal settlers living in the boundary of Mandaue and Cebu City to make sure that those who would avail of the relocation site were deserving settlers./Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos