City Hall’s lawyers to focus on urban poor

CEBU City Hall’s legal office will spend more time working on lot cases of the city’s urban poor following the latest demolition case involving 70 families in barangay Luz.

In a conference yesterday, Mayor Michael Rama said he would appoint at least one City Hall lawyer to handle urban poor cases.  He said he will also require the City Legal Office to be familiar with them.

Rama said if the concerns of urban poor communities were discussed prior to the issuance of demolition orders, their displacement would have been avoided earlier.  “Everything about the DWUP, the City Legal Office should have a lawyer assigned there,” said Rama.

At least 168 families in barangay Apas were given until May 7 to vacate the property owned by a certain Mariano Godinez. Another 70 families in barangay Luz were ordered to vacate a province-owned lot by Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Ramon Daomilas Jr. on or before May 15.

Rama directed  Lyndon Basan of the city legal office to sit down with DWUP chief Collin Rosell to discuss the concerns of the Luz families. “We have to be pro-active,” the mayor said.

He said he will contact Danny Deen of the major ACCRA law firm to brief City Hall lawyers on how to work like a private law firm.  /Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac