Another Parañaque slum colony braces for demolition

Armed with plastic bags filled with human waste, residents of Tucuma community in Barangay (village) Merville, Parañaque City, were already up at 6 a.m. Thursday, prepared to defend their houses from being torn down.

The day came and went, however, without the demolition team making an appearance.

The 1,000 families living in the compound have been bracing for a standoff with authorities since the start of the week after they received a court order for the demolition of their houses.

According to the order from the Parañaque Municipal Trial Court Branch 78, the demolition was supposed to push through Thursday.

The court, however, could not be reached for comment on why its order was not implemented.

On the other hand, Senior Superintendent Billy Beltran, Parañaque police chief, told the Inquirer in a phone interview that no one had coordinated with them about providing security to the demolition team, not even the court.

Guards stationed at the only entrance to Tucuma compound also did not know when the demolition of houses in the area would push through.

“No one talked to us about the supposed demolition. However, if the sheriff arrives with a proper demolition order, we will let them in,” said Mauro Papa, one of the guards employed by Molave Development Corp., the firm which owns the property.

The Tucuma lot is just one of four pieces of land owned by the company, which is run by the Tinitigan family of Parañaque.

Papa and the other security guards are stationed at the only entrance to the property—a small iron gate that leads to rows and rows of shanties.

Access to the compound is strictly controlled, with residents required to present a gate pass upon entry.

Inside the compound, Ramil Asturias, along with other residents, said that they have been watching out for the demolition team for days.

“Even if no one came to demolish our houses today, we [will remain] alert and vigilant in case they come in the next days,” he added.

“We have lived peacefully here for years but we will resist any attempt to forcibly evict us from our homes,” Asturias said.

He also reiterated their plea for Parañaque Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr. to intervene in the matter. According to the residents, the Tucuma lot is a government-owned property by virtue of an ordinance issued in 2000.

For his part, Bernabe admitted that an ordinance seeking the expropriation of the lot was approved in 2000 although it was opposed by the Tinitigan family and their firm.

“It (the ordinance) was challenged in court twice, and in both times, the family won. So the land is still with the family. It is still private property,” he said.

On Monday, a violent clash between residents of Silverio Compound, also in Parañaque City, and policemen securing a demolition team left a resident dead and 39 others injured.