Dialogue to stop brgy Luz demolition set today

BARANGAY Luz residents facing a court-ordered demolition are set to meet with City Hall and Socialized Housing Finance Corporation officials to thresh out an agreement to stave off demolition.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and the Divisions for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) headed by lawyer Collin Rosell will be meeting today with the presidents of the three homeowners’ associations, the Nangka, Lubi and Mabuhay and the officer in-charge of the Socialized Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) to negotiate payment of delinquency and other remedies to secure the settlers’ homelot tenure.

Evangeline Abejo of the Nasudnong Katawhang Kabus (Nakabus) said that the 32 affected families are still willing to give their full payment to the SHFC just to prevent eviction.

“Bayaran na lang unya pero di man gihapon dawaton nila kay patas-an naman ang presyo,” (The urban poor dwellers would have been willing to pay (SFHC), but they have raised the land prices), Abejo said.

Aggravating the situation of at least eight households is the fire that destroyed their homes last Friday.

“At least eight households were burned in the fire. The question now is whether they would still be subject to demolition,” said Abejo.

Houses of 32 delinquent homeowners were supposed to be demolished on Dec. 18 , 2011 but Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Ramon Daomilas postponed it after Mayor Rama asked for an extension.

The City City has expressed willingness to buy the lot where the 32 families are staying from the SHFC which sold these lots under the Community Mortgage Program for the urban poor in 1995 at P45,000 per 32 square meter home lot.

Abejo, said that while they welcome City Hall’s offer to intervene, they will negotiate a reasonable deal to make payments of the urban poor dwellers’ homelots affordable.

“We don’t want the land valuation to be based on the zonal valuation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue,”Abejo told Cebu Daily News.

Under the City Hall proposed intervention, City Hall will buy from the SHFC the land and the homeowners association will pay by installment to the city government over a period of 25 years.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he would offer Holy Mass for the urban poor group in the Mabuhay Chapel of barrio Luz at 2 p.m. Today. /Correspondent Tweeny M. Malinao