Iligan orders company to cease construction in 9 barangays over Maute homes

Iligan City Mayor Celso Regencia has issued a cease and desist order to a non-profit charitable organization distributing housing materials in some of the city's barangays after receiving information that the Maute group bought property in these areas.

According to a report by GMA News stringer Merlyn Manos on Tuesday, the order dated January 8, 2018 was issued to Meradeca Foundation Inc. and the Catholic Relief Services Inc. through officer-in-charge Cadi Fahad.

Regencia ordered them to stop building housing structures in the barangays of Del Carmen, Santiago, Luinab, Suarez, Tambacan, Tomas Cabili, Dalipuga, Tubod, and Sta. Elena without the approval of the city government.

"Such illegal construction is a violation of the law or city ordinances which will be dealt with accordingly," the letter said.

According to the charitable organization, the order only referred to the city housing code and made no mention of the supposed Maute houses.

The "Catholic Relief Services in the Philippines" also clarified it is not a company but a non-profit relief and development agency.

Matthew McGarry, the organization's country director, clarified they were not constructing houses and were instead distributing materials to Inernally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in formal, informal, and home-based evacuation centers "to make minor upgrades in their dwellings." 

McGarry said they have been working in Marawi since June 2017 in coordination with civil society partners, Task Force Bangon Marawi, local government officials, and the Church.

"We received a cease and desist order for these activities from the Mayor’s office, and have complied with it while we coordinate with the Mayor’s office and other actors," he added.

Maute houses

In her order, Mayor Regencia cited a validated intelligence report saying at least 12 large houses within the mentioned barangays belong to the Maute brothers.

The properties, he added, were all worth at least P2 million and were purchased before and during the battle in nearby Marawi City.

The mayor said the lligan government will monitor the buying and selling of properties in the entire city, citing the questionable the purchase of a 200-square-meter piece of property elsewhere in the city for as much as P25 million.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law over the entire island of Mindanao on May 23 following an attack from the Maute-ISIS group in Marawi City, which sparked a battle with government forces lasting nearly six months.

Iligan City Police Director Senior Superintendent Leony Roy Ga said that residents, together with all religious sectors, are urged to report any Maute-ISIS movement in the area.

Ga said the city strictly enforces the curfew from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., of which violators will be meted with a fine or face a penalty of cleaning city streets. — Margaret Claire Layug/BM/BAP, GMA News