• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The planned demolition by the Bacolod City Legal Office in Purok Katilingban, Barangay 39, Sept. 10, was temporarily halted following a tense standoff with residents identifying themselves as members of the Hiligaynon Sectoral Tribal Council Inc.
Enrico Nicor, who claims to be the tribal chieftain, insisted on seeing a court order from enforcement team leader, Ret. Col. Levy Pangue, before allowing the operation to proceed.
“No court order, no demolition,” Nicor stressed.
The supposed demolition covered at least three houses built on the property intended for the construction of a new Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) building.
The government lot was donated by the Lizares family to the provincial government of Negros Occidental.
“When the province came here, I asked, who in the province was the recipient of Dr. Antonio Lizares’ donation? They said ‘the province.’ So I asked, which specific person? Because when you say ‘province,’ that refers to the entire entity, and they couldn’t give an answer. So I asked, in 1954, who was it?” Nicor said.
He shared that he has been a resident of Barangay 39 since 1976 and relocated to the area between 2014 and 2020 after being hit by fire twice, while another resident said that a notice to vacate was issued to them in 2024.
Pangue eventually agreed to present a demolition order and a certified true copy of the land title held by the PCSO before pushing through with the demolition.
He added that the PCSO had called for a consultative meeting with affected residents the previous week to discuss the matter peacefully but none of the residents attended, prompting officials to move forward with the demolition order.
At least 24 families currently reside in the area, all claiming to be members of the tribe. | TMD
