MANILA, Philippines — One in four local governments in the Zamboanga Peninsula region failed to comply with nationwide road-clearing operations, according to the Department of Interior and Local Government's assessment and validation ratings.
DILG assessed local government units' compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to eliminate road obstructions and reclaim space for the public.
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Out of Region IX’s 72 towns and cities, a total of 18 failed DILG’s assessment. Zamboanga del Sur had the most failed assessments, with 12 local governments receiving a failing rating.
These are Aurora, Dinas, Dumalinao, Dumingag, Lakewood, Lapuyan, Margosatubig, Pitogo, San Pablo, Tabina, Tigbao, and Vincenzo Sagun.
The rest consisted of Zamboanga Sibugay LGUs Alicia, Kabasalan, Mabuhay, Olutanga, Titay and Zamboanga del Norte’s Leon Postigo.
Low compliance in Davao Region
Meanwhile, a total of 23 towns and cities – almost half of the Davao Region’s (Region XI) 49 towns and cities — received a low compliance rating from DILG.
Eight LGUs in Davao del Norte composed the majority, followed by Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Davao del Sur, and Davao Occidental.
Outside of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Davao City is the only city that has not submitted a report to DILG in response to the road-clearing directive, according to the list of assessment and validation ratings.
Road-clearing purpose
Among the obstructions removed in road clearing operations are illegally parked vehicles, street vendors, business establishments occupying road portions and illegal public transport terminals.
Indicators used for assessing the compliance of LGUs in Metro Manila were ordinances issued, use of a road inventory plan, displacement strategies, rehabilitation efforts and direct on-ground clearing operations, lawyer Odilon Luis Pasaraba of the DILG-Bureau of Local Government Supervision said in a release.
DILG Memorandum Circular 2019-121 issued in July gave local chief executives a 60-day compliance period to clear public roads used for commercial reasons or blocked by illegal structures and construction.