Mandaue delays demolition in danger zones

Residents of houses erected on areas classified as danger zones in four barangays Mandaue City were given a temporary reprieve after city officials granted their request for a stay in demolition.

According to Tonypet Juanico, Housing and Home Site Regulation Officer, the demolition deadline was pushed back to December 14 from December 7 after affected residents of sitio Orel in barangay Banilad asked them to re-mark the houses that will be demolished.

He said they will meet with the Mandaue City Board on Socialized Housing (MACBOSH) to discuss the residents’ request.

“Mao man gud ni ang ilang hangyo nga markingan ug balik ang ilang mga balay (This is what the residents wanted, to mark their houses once again),” he said.

Juanico said the residents, who mounted a protest on Monday in a bid to block the demolition team, agreed to stand down after officials agreed to postpone the operation. Both sides however, agreed to allow the clearing of 48 houses that were within the creek’s three-meter easement zone.

The clearing operation was temporarily stopped on Tuesday after rains fell and resumed yesterday with 17 houses getting demolished.

Also on Tuesday, affected residents started claiming the financial assistance offered by the city government while others sought help in bringing their building materials to the 6.5-hectare relocation area in barangay Paknaan.

After the demolition, the City Engineering Office will dredge the creeks.

Juanico said the clogging of the waterway that traverses the four barangays was one of the major causes of flooding in the city’s main highway. From barangay Banilad, clearing operations will move to barangays Basak, Maguikay and Paknaan.

Cynthia Suico, Community Affairs Officer of the city’s Housing Urban Development Office (HUDO), said they were having difficulty demolishing the concrete houses since their 19-man demolition team are only equipped with hand tools.

Suico said the Commission on Human Rights has allowed them to use a jackhammer in carrying out the demolition, but the city government doesn’t have one.

“This will take more time to finish as we only use a limited number of tools,” she said.

Juanico on the other hand said that next year the local government will be clearing the danger zones in Mahiga creek in barangay Subangdaku.