Demolition crew, squatters clash in Pasay; eight injured

By Pat C. Santos

11/19/2009

Eight persons were injured during the demolition of illegal structures beside the Muslim mosque along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City yesterday.

Senior Supt. Raul Petrasanta, Pasay City police chief, identified the injured as PO2 Rommel Merino, a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) of Pasay City police; Datu Imam, 38; Macarona Baraocor, 40; Ruperto Resurreccion, team leader of the demolition team, and Arsenio Quimbao, 36, Mel Estrada, 20, Larry del Pedro, 37, and Anthony Darlucio, 31, all members of the demolition team.

The demolition team arrived in the area located in Barangay 76, Zone 10, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City around 8 a.m. to demolish the shanties built beside the mosque.

But some 50 settlers started raining stones on the demolition team and the policemen who served as security escorts.

The stoning prompted the policemen to fire warning shots into the air to quell the action of the illegal settlers but not before most of the members of the demolition team got hurt.

Initial report said there were three persons killed after the policemen aimed their guns at the illegal settlers.

But Petrasanta denied the report, saying his men only fired warning shots because of the presence of some men reportedly armed with improvised shotguns, molotov bombs, bottles and stones.

Those injured were brought to the San Juan de Dios Hospital along with the policeman and the two settlers — Imam and Baraocor —who were both tagged as one of those who rained bottles and stones on the demolition team.

The office of Pasay Mayor Wenceslao “Peewee” Trinidad said the settlers were notified properly about the scheduled demolition but they still refused to yield.

The area that is presently occupied by the settlers will be converted into a commercial center.

Meanwhile, acting Public Works Secretary Victor Domingo yesterday called for sobriety in the violence-marred demolition of 300 shanties near a mosque in Pasay City even as he clarified the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) only gave transport support in the relocation of Muslim informal settlers.

“We regret that there is an untoward incident in an otherwise peaceful relocation. I am asking for sobriety and everybody there should remain calm and find out the mistakes made,” Domingo said after learning that 12 men from both the demolition team and the community of informal settlers were hurt.

Radio reports said the demolition operation which was undertaken by the Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) turned violent when Muslim residents pelted riot policemen and demolition team members with stones to prevent them from destroying their homes.

The reports added the 800 policemen protecting the demolition team were forced to fire warning shots at those throwing the stones atop the mosque which was spared from demolition.

Domingo clarified reports showing that DPWH men were involved in the demolition of the shanties, saying a memorandum of agreement with other key agencies provides that the DPWH would only lend dump trucks to transfer the informal settlers.

“We just provided the equipment to transfer people and their house materials. We just gave transport support,” Domingo said.

Edilberto Tayao, DPWH director for National Capital Region (NCR), echoed Domingo’s statement, saying their involvement in the demolition was only to provide six dump trucks to be used in transporting men and their house materials to areas where they will be transferred.

“Actually our dump trucks were situated on Macapagal Boulevard while the ruckus was ongoing. They were just awaiting call for them to come in after the demolition was over,” Tayao said, adding they had no men involved in the actual demolition work.

He also clarified the DPWH has no project in area and that the clearing of the shanties was made to give way to a traffic project of the MMDA and the local government of Pasay.

But he justified the demolition, saying there is a presidential directive for the clearing operation.

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