Riverbanks occupants to be relocated soon

CEBU, Philippines — At least 700 informal settler families living along the riverbanks in Cebu City will soon be asked to move out, as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-7 will implement its flood-control projects.

During the first meeting of the inter-agency task force on flooding (IATFF) yesterday, the DPWH-7 asked the assistance of the city government for the relocation of the informal settlers.

Engr. Earl Carlo Escanuela, assistant cluster head of Unified Project Management Office- flood control management cluster of DPWH central office, said the DPWH has ongoing river improvement projects in the city but they could not proceed because of the presence of the informal settler families.

“Initially identified based on consensus and tagging conducted by DPWH during the detailed engineering design, roughly around 700 informal setter families,” he said.

These families are staying in Barangays Guadalupe, Ermita, Pasil, Lahug, Tejero, and Tinago, among others.

Further, he said the IATFF has also identified some of the flood-prone areas like N. Bacalso Street, Pari-an area, Colon Street, barangays Tinago and Tejero, among others.

Atty. June Maratas, head of IATFF, said the city’s Division for the Welfare and Urban Poor will conduct socio-economic survey of the affected settlers.

“Also, one of their assignments is to identify relocation sites and asa pod ang proposed temporary relocation site para dili ma-stall ang projects. That will be reported sa next meeting,” he said.

In 2018, he said the DPWH has downloaded a budget of P140 million for the relocation of the affected families.

The IATFF members will meet every Thursday of the week to decide on the prioritization of the flood-control projects of the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works and the DPWH-7.

It is composed of Maratas as point person of the task force; assistant point persons are lawyers Jerone Castillo and Jose Daluz III, while the members are DPWH Regional Director Edgar Tabacon, DPWH Cebu City District Engineer Florida Nunez, and UPMO FCMC Head Engr. Luis Paredes of the DPWH and Cebu City Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez.

Maratas said the city has P1.5 billion project that will be used for flood-control projects while DPWH has a budget of its own. — GAN (FREEMAN)