Several residents in six barangays living within the property of PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental will be affected by an impending demolition for PHIVIDEC's reclamation project.

PHIVIDEC has announced it will clear the areas where houses were built within its property.

The residents affected are from Barangays Casinglot, Sugbongcogon Gracia, Sta. Cruz, Mohon, Poblacion, and Sta. Ana.

“After two years, demolish na kuno... wala gyud mi ni uyon ana unya ang ilang gihatag nga disturbance is 10 percent lang sa appraisal sa balay... kung imong balay worth P300,000 so P30,000 lang,” Emilyn Halasan, one of the residents affected, said.

In Barangay Casinglot, more than 1,000 families are expected to be displaced. They admitted, however, that they have been living on PHIVIDEC property.

“Sa akong nahibal-an, kini saunang panahon, gihatag nila ni nga relocation... mao mani gi nganlan ni ug relocation. Ang uban ani, parehas atong sa San Martin nga nakuha nila, nia nila gibutang ang uban,” Barangay Casinglot OIC Chairman, Mario Bolanio, said.

PHIVIDEC said it will use the property for the expansion of its port area and container shipyard. The areas of the reclamation project will also be reserved for industry locators and investors.

PHIVIDEC is building a socialized condominium-type housing units for residents affected by the project. The 12-story condominium units are constructed at the 10-hectare property provided by PHIVIDEC and it can accommodate more than 5,000 families. This will depend, however, if the residents affected will accept the company's resettlement offer with a minimal pay.

Dialogue between the officials of PHIVIDEC and residents affected continues, as of this writing.

The PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority (PHIVIDEC-IA) is a government owned and controlled corporation that, according to its website, “manages, administers and supervises the 3,000-hectare Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental (PIE-MO).”

Located  in the towns of Tagoloan and Villanueva, PIE-MO is one of the largest industrial estates in the Philippines.

“One of  the biggest infrastructures inside the PIE-MO is the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT). The MCT caters containerized cargoes both destined  for domestic and international markets,” the PHIVIDEC website reads further.