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Close to 600 houses of informal settlers demolished inside AFP camp's reservation area in Cagayan de Oro
Close to 600 houses of informal settlers demolished inside AFP camp's reservation area in Cagayan de Oro
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) demolished a total of 591 houses belonging to informal settler families (ISFs) inside the Camp Evangelista Military Reservation (CEMR) in Patag, Cagayan de Oro City this week.
The demolition of the structures within Lots 4354 and 4357 of CEMR was carried out on June 18 to 21 to implement a Supreme Court (SC) ruling dated Nov. 20, 2013 which declared the two lots – totaling 42.29 hectares – reverted to public domain, according to the 4th Infantry Division (4ID).
The demolition team was led by the court sheriff of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 17 and supported by the 4ID, Philippine National Police (PNP), and other local government officials.
“We understand and recognize the difficulties and challenges faced by the ISFs and respectfully urge them to stay calm, cooperate, and not resort to violence,” Lt. Col. Francisco P. Garello Jr., chief of 4ID public affairs office, said on Saturday, June 22.
No untoward incident or major aggression was observed during the demolition but the 4ID’s Explosives and Ordnance Division (EOD) team recovered a cache of high explosive ammunitions in one of the houses, the 4ID said.
“These posed a danger not only to their families but also to their neighborhoods. We urge the ISFs to report and voluntarily surrender any explosives and ammunition still in their possession for everyone's safety,” Garello said.
In a public briefing in February, the 4ID said more or less 427 families or 1,974 individuals would be affected by the demolition.
The land where the ISF's houses were built was declared as a military reservation area based on Presidential Proclamation No. 265 s.1938, the 4ID explained.
Following the SC's 2013 ruling, the 4ID said that Presidential Proclamation No. 265 series of 1938, which declares Camp Evangelista as a military reservation, remains in effect, granting them ownership of the area.
After several appeals and motions, the RTC Branch 17 granted the motion for issuance of the order of demolition. The recent Resolution of RTC Branch 17 dated June 14, 2024, denied the motion to quash the Writ of Execution and Demolition of the other party, the defendants.
Many affected residents were saddened by the demolition.
One of them, who said he has lived in the area for the past 30 years, lamented that the military, who they considered as their “protectors”, did not inform them whether there would be a relocation for them.
Meanwhile, others were thankful to the 4ID since they were allowed by the military to build their houses in the military reservation without rental.
“Some [residents] inside [the] camp voluntarily demolished their own houses as per stated in the court order! Thank you, 4ID, for authorizing me to construct my house last 1998 without rental in the military reservation. I [served] that Command for almost 23 years when I [retired] in 2010 and as of now, my house is almost 26 years since it was constructed. Thank you, 4ID, and goodbye Zone 6, Signal Hill, Patag, Cagayan de Oro City!” said one Sam Ogoy on Facebook.
The 4ID said it has cooperated with the local government unit (LGU) to facilitate the smooth transition of the affected ISFs.
“We understand the impact on individuals and families residing in the affected areas for many years. The 4ID and the LGU are committed to ensuring that the demolition is carried out with utmost sensitivity to the well-being of the ISFs,” Garello said.