Tension grips Barangay Culiat as demolition op enters 2nd day

Tension gripped residents in a community in Quezon City as demolition team members, backed up by police personnel, faced off Wednesday morning as the wrecking of houses of informal settlers there entered its second day.

In a post on his Twitter account Wednesday morning, Allan Gatus reported of the tension that was building up.

FLASH: Demolition team at mga residente ng Luzon Ave., Brgy. Culiat, QC muling nagkagirian. | via @allangatus pic.twitter.com/S0msxj1xZe

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) June 14, 2016

Residents of the Secret Garden compound in Barangay Culiat on Tuesday clashed with police personnel backing up members of the demolition team, as the houses along Luzon Avenue were being demolished.

Armed with shields and helmets police defended themselves from flying rocks thrown at them by residents who stood their ground in defiance.

Meanwhile, Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY), an organization for the protection of the rights of informal settlers and urban poor communities, said that residents have remained indignant of Tuesday's violent demolition operation that left several residents injured and some hospitalized.

In a joint statement sent to GMA News Online, Michael Beltran, KADAMAY's media officer and Gloria Arrellano, the group's chairperson, said "Culiat has remained indignant. Ten residents were injured and three others were hospitalized in Tuesday's wrecking operation."

KADAMAY cited Leon Peralta, a former mayoral candidate, as saying that the Sheriff implementing the demolition could not produce a Court Order and Writ of Execution for the operation.

The last notice of eviction they received was in April, KADAMAY said, quoting  Rep. Kit  Belmonte as saying that the relocation sites must first be arranged.

Also in its statement, KADAMAY tags the Culiat demolition as "vicious and illegal." — LBG, GMA News