• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod City government has issued a 10-day notice to vacate to informal settlers who have constructed houses within the Bacolod Arts and Youth Sports (BAYS) Center compound in Barangay 12.
The City Legal Office (CLO) Enforcement Team leader retired police colonel Levy Pangue said that at least seven houses were identified as illegal structures built within the government-owned compound.
Pangue noted that the eviction process is sensitive because the structures serve as residential homes, some of which are even being rented out to other tenants.
He said that the Department of Social Services and the Development (DSSD) and the Bacolod Housing Authority (BHA) will be conducting a survey to identify if the illegal settlers qualify for financial aid.
Pangue said that since the area is residential they need to review the notice and cannot immediately conduct operations.
They will have to wait for the result of the DSSD survey that will serve as the basis for the serving of the final notice.
He added that initial assessments by BHA indicate that the affected settlers are disqualified from standard relocation programs due to the illegal nature of the construction on government land.
The City Engineer’s Office has already begun dismantling portions of the BAYS Center to make way for a redevelopment by SM Prime Holdings Inc.*
