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Apart from plants and stray animals, the only sign of life in the lowland sections of sitio Dakit, barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, is an 81-year-old grandmother who refuses to leave her home.
Jesusa Cueva has chosen to stay in her shanty and risk being swept away by water the next time it rains hard despite City Hall’s evacuation of residents in sitio Dakit threatened by flooding.
“Ngano’ng mupahawa man ko nga ako man ‘ning balay? Bisan dili ‘ni among yuta, pero mura na og amo kay gipa-puyo na man mi diri sa tag-iya (Why should I leave when this is my home? Even if it’s not our land, it’s as if it’s ours because the owner let us live here),” said Cueva.
“Sa gidugayon na namo diri, karon pa ko papahawaon dire? (I’ve lived here for so long. They just want me to leave now)?”
Cueva’s children and grandchildren, who followed a City Hall evacuation order, have been housed at the Guadalupe Sports Complex for the past 12 days.
Sitio Dakit has since been cordoned off with yellow “caution” tape and signs declaring the area a “danger zone.”
The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDCC) has also installed locks on all homes to prevent families from moving back and to secure belongings that may still be inside the houses.
Policemen and barangay tanods patrol the area. House appliances were transferred to container vans parked beside the sports complex.
A City Hall-hired geologist earlier said the part of sitio Dakit hit by separate flashfloods in April and last month was a diverted waterway that had developed when the original waterway was blocked by the perimeter fence of South Plans Subdivision some years back.
However, the flooding during heavy rains occurred after work started on the Monterrazas de Cebu, an upscale subdivision in the mountains of Guadalupe.
The development permit for Monterrazas was suspended by City Hall.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña, during a brief visit to City Hall yesterday, said the developer of Monterrazas, Landco Pacific Corp., should find a solution and take steps to prevent further flooding, such as adding retention ponds to capture runoff water.
“Do not challenge God, do not challenge nature,” said the mayor.
He also warned stubborn residents who refused to evacuate to heed the city’s warning, or have their homes demolished.
“Do not put yourself in harm’s way,” he said.
City Administrator Francisco Fernandez said he would talk to any holdout residents. He said he optimistic a solution could be reached by the city, Landco and Dakit residents. /With Correspondent Jully Venus Cuizo
