Squatters who paid P10K ‘reservation fee’ lose homes

The homes of some 200 families living dangerously under dangling high-voltage power lines in Valenzuela City were demolished on Friday, as the city government vowed to press charges against so-called  “professional squatters.”

The mass eviction was carried out as  the local government started looking for at least two persons who had collected “reservation fees” worth P10,000 from each squatter  family, according to Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian.

Members of the city engineering office tore down more than 200 shanties in Friendsville in Barangay Bignay, after negotiations between the settlers and local officials which started in 2011 failed to reach an agreement. The residents had been given several warnings to leave since 2012.

Not suitable for housing

The Valenzuela police fielded teams in the area during the demolition. The workers got a barrage of invectives from the evicted families but there was no violent confrontation, according to city police chief Sr. Supt. Rhoderick Armamento.

In an interview, Gatchalian said the city had been negotiating with the residents to leave the area since 2011 because it is considered a danger zone.

“They are living under electricity transmission lines. The land is considered a danger zone because of that, and if something happens the high-tension wires could snap above these houses. It’s the same as living along riverbanks. These areas are not suitable for housing,” he said.

First appeal

He said the city government first appealed to the residents to leave when there were only about 50 families in the area. The population has since then swelled to over 200 families.

“After an investigation, we learned that there were professional squatters who let the informal settlers stay in the area. The families came from Caloocan City and Quezon City, and they had to pay up to P10,000 in ‘reservation fees’ aside from a regular (fee of) P500,” Gatchalian added.

“The residents were reportedly told that the area was a relocation site, when in fact it’s not,” the mayor said.

An ongoing investigation is checking the identities of at least two persons involved in this racket and who will be charged with misrepresentation and estafa, he said.