Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo said that the demolition of six houses and a church which stood on government property in Moises Padilla town in Negros Occidental was lawful and followed all procedures.
The demolition of the houses and a church followed the law, which includes meetings and consultations with the affected families, contrary to the claims posted on social media, Yulo said on Thursday, March 7.
The 8-hectare site in Brgy. Guinpana-an, where the demolished structures were located, is government property, the mayor said.
About 2,000 square meters of the area will be utilized for the construction of a Super Health Center funded by the Department of Health.
The mayor said that out of six families, only one remained to be in opposition.
Nobody signified opposition in the series of meetings they conducted with the families and the Aglipay church, and they agreed to be relocated to the new site the municipal government provided, she added.
The relocation site is a few meters away from their original location.
Yulo also said that they also gave assistance of P20,000 to each of the families affected by the demolition.*