Thursday, June 12, 2008 [ philstar.com ]
At least 300 informal settlers nearly clashed with 100 police officers who went to the reclamation area in Baclaran, Pasay City yesterday morning after the residents were served a ruling by the Parañaque Regional Trial Court (RTC) ordering them to immediately vacate the area.
Pasay police chief Senior Superintendent Marietto Valerio said the residents reacted violently upon seeing the Parañaque RTC’s sheriff, who delivered the court order.
“The policemen who rushed at the site said that the residents already had several stones and bottles prepared as their weapons against those who will force them to leave. It was just fortunate that the police were able to pacify them after it was decided that the enforcement of the court order be done some other time,” Valerio said.
The property on which the informal settlers have formed a Muslim community and erected a mosque is owned by the Philippine Reclamation Authority and will reportedly be developed into a commercial area.
Valerio explained that the area still falls under Pasay City, but “the case was only brought to the Parañaque court after the complainants thought of it as the rightful venue where the case should be heard.”
Earlier, concerned Muslim leaders said it is possible for the residents to voluntarily leave the area only if concerned government officials will agree not to destroy the mosque. The people are willing to be relocated but the mosque must stay there. They said they would rather die than see the mosque destroyed.
In a demolition activity conducted in the area a year ago, the mosque was spared. A concerned official said the mosque would have to be relocated later and they are looking at transferring the mosque to the Nayong Pilipino compound.
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