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CEBU City Administrator Francisco ?Bimbo? Fernandez yesterday urged University of the Philippines officials to go through the process in taking back its property from urban poor settlers in barangay Lahug.
If not, he added, he would recommend the city take back the donated South Road Properties lot.
Fernandez sad UP officials should file eviction cases against the settlers rather than take advantage of the fire that razed their homes.
Fernandez said Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña allowed him to take a stand in favor of the urban poor.
?What you do is burn the urban poor community. After that, fence the area. If you are prevented from fencing it, then go to court,? Fernandez said in Cebuano.
He also condemned the court decision to stop barangay Lahug captain Mary Ann delos Santos from preventing UP officials from fencing the lot.
?If what they are doing is legal, then that is certainly immoral,? he said.
?I think we should defy UP and if i-contempt ta. I would be very willing to declare of contempt of court because even if it is legal and if legally that is doubtful that is certainly immoral...For me this is a cause that I will be very happy to go to jail for,? Fernandez said.
Fernandez, executive director of Pagtambayayong Foundation Inc., said he was calling on all urban poor communities, students, staff and faculty of UP, to protest what he described as a ?highly immoral act.?
?It is very very sad that ang institution of morality, which is the school, is the one introducing a very immoral act of evicting people,? Fernandez said.
If the school would proceed with its plan, then Fernandez said he would recommend to the city government to take back the donated five hectare lot in the SRP worth P500 million.
?Can you imagine the fires nga mahitabo dinhi sa Cebu because that's the cheapest way of evicting people?? He said the city is willing to discuss relocation of the fire victims with UP.
The mayor agreed and said UP should file an ejectment case against the settlers in court instead.
?I will put a squeeze on UP. We gave UP P500 million worth of land in five hectares. It?s not easy to get it back but we can give them a hard time.?
?So whatever Bimbo says has my full authority. Bimbo has always been my conscience when it comes to the urban poor. I am the rubber stamp of Bimbo Fernandez on matters of urban poor.?
