Home 
FIRE VICTIMS of sitio San Jose, barangay Lahug in Cebu City have agreed to the proposal of the University of the Philippines for settlers to lease the lot that they occupied.
With the agreement in place, the court?s temporary restraining order placed on Lahug barangay captain Mary Ann de los Santos could now be lifted, said UP lawyer Jesus Isidro Atoc.
The agreement was reached after a two-hour dialog, in which UP administrators and their lawyers discussed with fire victims a possible solution to their conflict.
Tensions grew last month after a fire destroyed the settlers? homes on Nov. 11. Following the fire, UP prevented the settlers from reoccupying the area because the land belongs to the school.
When De los Santos tried to intervene on the settlers? behalf, UP asked the court to restrain her.
In the dialog yesterday, which was also attended by De los Santos and her lawyer, Cecilia Adlawan, UP and the settlers agreed on a lease agreement.
The agreement states that the settlers may rent the parcels of land within the lot that they used to occupy.
Atoc said that UP could not sell the lot to the settlers because the land originally belonged to the Cebu provincial government.
The lot is part of 13 hectares donated by the province to the university in 1925 under the condition that UP may not sell any portion of the land.
While terms of the lease agreement would still be detailed at a later time, the settlers proposed either a 15-year or 30-year lease agreement.
Alma Castañares, a resident, said among the settlers? terms for the 15-year agreement is that they will stay in the lot for 15 years, whether or not UP?s funds for a project that they intend to put up in the lot would be released.
UP administrators earlier said they wanted to put up an information technology hub on the lot.
At the end of the 15-year lease period, the settlers would vacate. However, the settlers said they were willing to leave before 15 years if they were given a relocation site.
Atoc said the settlers? proposal would be forwarded to UP?s Board of Regents for a final decision on the matter.
