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Tension up in Baclaran as demolition teams ring Muslim community


Tension gripped the Muslim community in Baclaran early Thursday morning after Pasay City police were deployed to the area to assist a demolition team in tearing down their houses. Radio dzBB reported Thursday that the Pasay City police sent 50 personnel to assist the demolition team from the Philippine Reclamation Authority, which was to start its work at 8 a.m. It said that as early as 5 a.m., the Pasay City police were already in the area, even as residents of the Muslim community rushed to the local mosque to pray. Members of the Southern Police District (SPD) were also in the area to "secure" the demolition site. Some 300 Muslim families had vowed a "holy war" against the demolition team. They claimed President Arroyo gave them the land on which they built their houses. But the Philippine Reclamation Authority promised the Muslim community it will not tear down the mosque, and will instead help "beautify" it. It added it had already given 121 of some 344 families some P30,000 each to help them return to their home provinces. - GMANews.TV

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