Affected by clearing of river 1,200 families to receive aid

CEBU, Philippines - More than 1,200 families that will be affected by the clearing and dredging of Mahiga River have registered at the Mabolo barangay hall to receive assistance from the city government.

The Cebu City Squatters Prevention, Elimination and Encroachment Division (SPEED) will resume today the demolition of houses and other illegal structures built on the banks and on Mahiga River.

SPEED Chief Noel Artes said that they have started demolishing six houses built under the bridge in block 27, North Reclamation Area, where the water from Mahiga River goes to sea.

They will resume the demolition after a meeting with City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete today. The city administrator has been tasked by Mayor Michael Rama to take charge of the matter in his absence.

Artes said that he needs an order from the City Legal Office to proceed with the demolition of the concrete bridges and ripraps that were illegally constructed by the informal settlers.

Poblete will help them prepare the necessary documents.

SPEED also consulted with the Local Housing Board, which advised them that demolition of illegal structures built in danger zones needs no permission from the housing board.

Artes said that the residents in block 27 have been issued a demolition order three months ago. In fact, most of the structures were already demolished, but they went back to rebuild.

“We will totally demolish all of them (structures). Ato lang silang gitagaan og due process to give them time to prepare,” Artes said.

The demolition is necessary because the Department of Engineering and Public Works will restore the 14-meter wide creek from sitio Sindulan, in barangay Mabolo to block 27 at the North Reclamation Area.

Artes said that the creek in the part of sitio Mahusay in Mabolo has narrowed to only eight meters-wide when informal settlers started to occupy the area and built their own concrete ripraps.

The situation is worse in sitio Marna near the City Abattoir, because encroachment narrowed the creek to only three meters-wide.

Artes said this is the reason why the creek easily overflows and why the North Reclamation Area was heavily flooded last Tuesday.

There are concrete bridges and poles built in sitio Marna that have to be demolished immediately. Artes said that they have informed the settlers to vacate their houses as soon as possible.

Aside from the restoration of the 14-meter wide creek, the city will also implement the three-meter easement, which bans any structure within that area.

   The easement zone is mandated under Presidential Decree No. 1067 or the Water Code of the Philippines, which says that the banks of rivers and streams and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout its entire length and within a zone of three meters in urban areas are subject to the easement of public use in the interest of recreation, navigation, floatage, fishing and salvage.

The easement zone shall allow the DEPW to bring the equipment for dredging to the site without obstruction.

Artes said it will take some time to complete the demolition that’s why they asked for additional manpower.

He proposed at least four teams with 10 members each for the operation.

Artes said that they are complete with equipment from the DEPW.

They have asked the affected families to register at the barangay for them to avail of the city’s assistance. —/NLQ (FREEMAN)