By ERWIN MASCARIÑAS
Correspondent
BUTUAN City--Defiant residents of Barangay New Society here stood in protest against a planned demolition of their houses on Monday.
A sheriff and a demolition team, backed by the police, were supposed to destroy over a hundred structures in the village but a downpour stopped them and prevented what could have been a violent clash.
Protesting residents prepared for a confrontation even as they vowed to stand their ground despite threats of a violent dispersal.
“There is nothing we can do if they come and start the demolition. We will defend our land and our homes. All we ask is for compassion. We have the right to be heard,” said Danny Humunong, one of the affected residents.
He said all they ask is for authorities to hold back and wait for a Court of Appeals ruling on the case.
He said there was a petition for a temporary restraining order submitted to the appellate court last week.
Humunong said they would stand against the demolition team “even if we have to risk our lives.”
Councilor Rema Erigbuagas Burdeos, a lawyer, said the protesters “are not squatters” because they have land titles awarded to them by a former President.
There were others, he said, who were prevented from applying for titles because of the new claimants who have no title and “were never even occupants of the area.”
Burdeos said there are two separate cases that are awaiting the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court rulings.
On Monday morning, hundreds of residents marched from Narra road towards the main road in Montilla Blvd.. They chanted “Allahu Akbar” while they carried rods and wood planks.
Sultan G.M. Amerol said the Muslim community in the adjacent area would not stand idly by as their neighbors’ homes would be demolished.
“We will stand with our neighbors,” he said.
