Cebu City Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young aborted the order of eviction of occupants of the downtown Citi Center Complex.
Instead, he scored Mayor Michael Rama and City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete for failing to consult the affected parties in barangay Kamagayan and for invalid delegation of authority.
Young is acting mayor while Rama is in Rome to attend the canonization of Pedro Calungsod.
He also questioned Poblete’s authority to issue the demolition order, saying the function cannot be delegated by the mayor.
Last Thursday, Poblete issued a notice asking the center’s existing occupants to vacate the Citi Center otherwise they face eviction.
Young said the city government needs to consult affected occupants first, offer them financial help or give them a relocation site in compliance with law.
Before he left for Rome on October 17, Rama gave instructions for Poblete to make sure that the Citi Center Complex is vacated of its existing occupants before he returns today or on Thursday.
The property used to be a private wet market.
Ownership was transferred to the Cebu city government because of unpaid taxes by its previous owners.
Part of the center is still being used for commercial stalls while its interior is occupied by about 50 urban poor families.
Poblete said that Mayor Rama wanted the complex cleared so this can be used for the city government’s s night dwellers program. In the long term, Rama wants to develop the propert as a residential site for City Hall employees.
He said that while some occupants may possess business permits, they lack lease contracts with the city government and have not been paying any rental for the use of the space.
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Young criticized Rama for having “anti-poor” policies and that it was ironic that the mayor left for Rome to witness the canonization of Pedro Calungsod.
“He wanted to project that he is holier than thou but when he comes home, he wants people occupying the Citi Center evicted,” said Young.
The mayor and vice mayor belong to opposing political parties and are running for reelection.