Over 100 houses up for demolition in Mabolo

CEBU, Philippines - Over a hundred residential houses that are built on a creek in Barangay Mabolo will soon be demolished after Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama found these to have already obstructing the waterway.

Rama, who inspected Sitio Lahing-lahing the other day, said that he has observed that a portion of the creek that used to be six meter-wide is now only about a meter.

Because of the obstruction, the water level will easily go up every time it rains. In fact, the residents of the place narrated to Rama that during the recent heavy downpour the floodwater had reached to a level of as high as eight feet.

“Kon may tawo nga atakehon o kaha nagkinahanglan og diha-diha nga pag-atiman sa doktor atol nga maglunop unsaon man pagdala kaniya sa ospital?” Rama asked.

Rama said he will order the City Legal Office to immediately send notices of demolition to the residents. The Mayor asked Mabolo barangay captain Reynaldo Ompoc to cooperate with the City Hall personnel during the demolition.

Rama estimated the families that stand to be affected by the impending demolition to be about a hundred. Aside from Lahing-lahing, City Hall officials also learned that there are close to 100 houses illegally constructed on a creek in Barangay Carreta.

The Mayor earlier announced that the city government will give P10,000 livelihood assistance to each urban poor family affected by the clearing of the rivers, creeks and other waterways in the city. — (FREEMAN)