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Baguio City legal office clarify demolition procedures

BAGUIO CITY (Nov. 4) — Acting city legal officer Melchor Carlos Rabanes Thursday assured that the city has been observing due process in the implementation of demolition activities.

Rabanes was reacting to claims of unfair and discriminatory demolition practices employed by the city as charged by a group of Irisan residents which staged a rally in front of the city mayor’s office last Wednesday.

In a press briefing, Rabanes spelled out the procedures involved in effecting demolition orders starting from the receipt of the complaints to the process of investigating and issuing the dismantling orders.

He said all the procedures involved ensure that all parties concerned are given ample and fair chance to defend their positions on the issue. He said that upon receipt of the complaint, the city through the public order and safety division (POSD) and the city buildings and architecture office conducts thorough investigation of the case. After this, the parties are given equal opportunities to air their positions through the hearings conducted by the anti-squatting and illegal structure committee chaired by the legal officer and composed of four other members.

After careful examination, Rabanes clarified, the committee recommends actions to the mayor like the issuance of the demolition order in cases that warrant the same. He said the committee’s criterion in deciding on the illegality of the structures is simple: structures built on titled properties must have consent from the owner of the lot and those built on public lots must be covered by entry permits. Otherwise, these will be recommended for demolition based on the provisions of Anti-Squatting laws.

Mayor Braulio Yaranon also earlier assured that the city government will exercise utmost fairness in the implementation of measures to curb squatting in the city.

Yaranon said that all actions against squatters will be based on the law and that no discrimination will be allowed in the implementation of demolition orders. The mayor also said that contrary to the claims of some quarters, he did not promise to stall demolition activities once he wins in the elections. He said what he promised was to help negotiate for more housing opportunities for the poor but not to protect the squatters as doing so will mean tolerating an illegal activity.

Rabanes said that as of October this year, the city has to resolve a total of 5,756 squatting cases most of which date back to 2002.

In a separate development, the city government and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) assured that it will allot housing units for the poor under its development of the urban poor community sector project.

DBP’s Vilma Quitulio, chief of Housing Division said, the project aims to address the 50,000 housing backlog in Baguio City. Two components, the site development and the housing component make up the project, but according to Quitulio, the city only supports the site development component at present.

The city is expected to pose with DBP a bond equivalent to six-month total amortizations before the project starts. Prospective beneficiaries will get a 25-year payment scheme under the said project. # Aileen P. Refuerzo/PIO with reports from Rowena Caccam/DzEQ

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