Marna, Mandaue City residents hold protest, get dialogue with officials

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Residents of Sitio Marna, Barangay Subangdaku, held a silent protest outside Mandaue City Hall on Monday, July 13, renewing an appeal to stop the demolition of their homes, nearly three weeks after more than a hundred houses in the area were torn down.

Members of the Marna Homeowners Association, Inc. (HOA) and other residents’ groups stood outside the city hall holding placards bearing various messages, after following up on a position paper they had submitted to city officials on July 8.

Belinda Allare, chairperson of Panaghugpong Kadamay Cebu, said that residents learned that a dialogue with the Vice Mayor’s office and four councilors has been set for Tuesday morning, July 14.

READ ALSO: Mandaue eyes financial aid for Sitio Marna families

“Mao tong gitagaan namo ug kopya sa position paper ang mayor, vice mayor, mga konsehales… Pabalikon mi ugma,” Allare said.

Mandaue City officials’ commitments

(We gave a copy of our position paper to the mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors… We were told to come back tomorrow.)

She said that the residents are ready to take further steps if those talks don’t lead to specific commitments from the Mandaue City Government.

Allare added that they have exhausted other avenues for help. The weeks since the demolition have left affected families unable to eat or sleep properly amid the stress of displacement. They believe it is now the city government’s turn to act on its responsibility to serve them.

The HOA restated its main points: halt all additional demolition and secure permission to rebuild on the property.

Demolition, ownership dispute

HOA president Ryan Catadman said that the demolition proceeded without a court order or due process. He alleged that armed individuals accompanied the demolition team. They allegedly used a bulldozer, road roller, and backhoe to tear down homes, including some that were still occupied.

“Amo tuyo gyud diri nga ipahunong gyud ning illegal nga demolisyon… tungod kay wala pud court order nga gipakita namo nga legal sila nag-demolish,” Catadman said.

(Our purpose here is to stop this illegal demolition… because no court order was shown to us proving the demolition was legal.)

He appealed for emergency shelter, food, water, and sanitation facilities. Elderly residents and children have been hit hardest, he added.

56 families affected, some Mandaue City voters

Ramonita Manatad, barangay captain of Subangdaku, separately said that 56 families, or over 170 people, were affected along the destroyed property line. Only 31 of them are registered voters in Subangdaku, with most registered in Cebu City.

Manatad said that the barangay still caters to the affected families since they fall within Subangdaku’s jurisdiction.

Catadman, for his part, disputed the property representative’s claim that a 2016 court decision recognized the company’s right to the land. He said that the company has yet to present it to residents.

Manatad said that the property had always been known to belong to a private firm. The firm had previously agreed with the residents not to expand beyond a fenced-off area.

Mandaue City land dispute

The property’s representatives moved forward with the demolition after tensions escalated earlier this year. Structures had begun appearing beyond that boundary, she said.

Catadman, however, maintained that the land is public timberland. He cited findings from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the City Assessor’s Office.

He added that their group has no documents establishing ownership themselves but that families have lived there since the 1980s and 1990s.

Neither side has been able to publicly present any documents that conclusively establish ownership of the property.

Demolition site still occupied

Manatad also said that a fire had affected more than 12 families in the area days before the demolition began. She referred further questions to fire investigators.

Displaced families have remained near the demolition site, with some sleeping along the roadside, Catadman said.

Manatad added that residents were hesitant to leave behind their possessions. A number of families planned to move to Dumanjug, Cebu, but had not yet done so because the school term was ongoing.

As of Monday, July 13, the legal status of the demolition remains unresolved. Both parties have yet to present documents settling the ownership dispute. A dialogue with resident groups and the Vice Mayor’s Office is scheduled at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 14.

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