MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) At least six policemen were wounded Wednesday afternoon when residents of the Laperal compound in Guadalupe, Makati City hurled stones and bottles at a demolition team that tried to enter the private compound.
The incident came a week after the residents lost their homes to a fire and as they appealed to the city government for a dialogue or public consultation with them before evicting them from the private property.
The atmosphere grew tense as civil disturbance unit and a demolition team from the Makati government prepared to evict the residents, who refused relocation after fire hit the compound Tuesday last week.
Firefighters trained a water cannon on residents who formed a human barricade to prevent the entry of the demolition team.
Last week’s fire razed some 900 houses, leaving around 2,500 families homeless.