Sesbreño family to ensure demolition despite threats

Despite their mourning over the murders of loved ones and friends, the Sesbreño family will continue with the court-ordered demolition of houses in barangay Lawaan II, Talisay City at 9 a.m. today.

In a phone interview Peter Sesbreño, the youngest son of lawyer Raul Sesbreño said 40 houses will be covered by the demolition.

The houses stand on a lot which the lawyer claimed was given to him as payment by his clients.

Peter’s 64-year-old mother, Virginia, caretaker Soledad Epanto and 31-year-old Joshua Young, a close family friend, were killed in an ambush in Rabaya Street, Talisay City last Wednesday.

Peter said they will arrive in the demolition site in “full force.”

He told Cebu Daily News that they still received threatening text messages after the ambush.

“We will be preparing a water tank and tear gas and we will spray it at the Lawaan II residents if they will fight us,” Peter said in Cebuano.

Peter said the households in Lawaan II to be affected by the demolition needed to vacate the area.

“We are forced to push the demolition. If the sheriff does not take action, we will ask help from the media,” Peter told Cebu Daily News.

In a previous interview, Peter said they had been planning to demolish the houses in Lawaan II since 2009. The demolition will start at the front part facing the main road.

Peter said they plan to put up a commercial center there.

He said they will spare the houses of residents who are close to their family.

Lawyer Sesbreño claims co-ownership of a 7.8-hectare land in Lawaan II and III, which is the property of his client, the Borromeo family.

He said the family assigned 15 percent to him as payment for his legal services.

In a separate phone interview Supt. Eddie P. Recamara, Talisay City police chief, said one personal police escort will be provided to the lawyer everytime he goes out of his house.

“Even though he (the elder Sesbreño) just made a verbal request (for police escort), we will still provide him,” Recamara said.

He said a written request should be approved by the Police Regional Office before any security detail is provided.

Recamara said he expects a peaceful demolition of houses in Lawaan II today.

He said 10 policemen are deployed to provide security in the demolition.

“It will be maximum tolerance. That’s our SOP (standard operating procedure). We stay neutral all the time.” Recamara told Cebu Daily News.

Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, Cebu provincial police chief, said the demolition is the “primary job” of the sheriff.

Last Saturday, the elder Sesbreño’s wife Virginia was buried in simple rites at the Carreta Cemetery in Cebu City.

Young’s remains were brought to his hometown in Surigao del Sur.

The Sesbreño family earlier gave police the names of five persons whom they considered were the “masterminds” of the ambush.

A cartographic sketch of the gunman was also completed. /Rhea Ruth V. Rosell, Correspondent