Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume IV, Number 6 March 7 - 13, 2004 Quezon City, Philippines |
The
Miracles of Elections: Baguio House Spared In elections when every vote counts, anything can happen. And it looks like Baguio City’s urban poor dwellers are seeing a respite in the demolition of their communities as the city mayor, who had haunted them as some kind of a “demolition king,” has surprised all by declaring a freeze on his eviction orders. BY NORTHERN DISPATCH BAGUIO
CITY (Nordis) - It’s the coming elections, not the incumbent mayor here, that
received kudos in one of this city’s urban poor communities late February.
Residents of San Carlos Heights, Irisan
cheered when Mayor Bernardo Vergara ordered the City Demolition Team to call off
the scheduled demolition of a house in the community. “Imbag
laengen ta asidegen ti eleksiyon, no saan ket naburbor ti balay” (Thanks
to the coming elections, or else, the house would have been demolished), said
one of the residents in Ilokano. The house owned by Martha Aragon was spared
from demolition when Vergara ordered a motatorium on the demolition order he
allegedly signed earlier. Aragon, together with officers of Lobinders, a neighborhood association in San Carlos Heights went to the office of Vergara to negotiate for the lifting of the demolition order. As
the negotiations were ongoing, other San Carlos residents together with members
of the Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili ti Syudad-Kalipunan ng Damayang
Mahihirap-Anakpawis (Ornus-Kadamay-Anakpawis) barricaded the road leading to the
house. Everyone
was relieved when a text message from the city mayor was received announcing the
cancellation of the demolition order. Elated residents then dispersed thinking
that the threat was over. But
momentary joy turned to shock when the residents saw the city demolition crew
coming. They approached their leader, Engr. Nazita Bañez, and told her that the
mayor had canceled the demolition order. “Awan
ti pakibiang ni mayor ditoy,” Bañez blurted out ignoring the residents’
pleas. “Ituloy mi ti demolisyon” (The mayor has nothing to do with
this, we will push through with the demolition). Amid
the commotion, Mrs. Aragon asked lawyer Rocky Balisong to contact Vergara
immediately and tell him that Bañez refused to honor his hold order. According
to Balisong, Vergara phoned Bañez to tell her that as long as he is the mayor
of Baguio she should comply with his orders. The mayor also told Bañez to wait
to get elected as mayor before she could do what she wanted. As
head of the demolition team, Bañez gained the ire of Baguio’s urban poor
communities. She had figured in a stabbing incident when a lone assailant
injured her buttocks during a demolition. She was just just following the
mayor’s demolition orders, she was quoted as saying. Baguio’s urban poor residents are however that demolition orders on Baguio’s urban poor colonies had been coming all the way from Vergara. “Idi nag-meyor ni Vergara ket aktibo ti demolisyon” (When Vergara became mayor, demolition was reactivated), residents here observe. Aldwin Quitasol for Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
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