Tuesday, November 20, 2007 85 structures near Mahiga for demolition
CITING the need to protect the residents, the Cebu City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) recommended that at least 85 illegal structures along and over the Mahiga Creek be demolished.
CPDO Chief Nigel Paul Villarete said he already asked the City Attorney’s Office to prepare the demolition orders so the structures can be torn down immediately.
He made the recommendation to Mayor Tomas Osmeña as Cebu anticipates a public storm, when water level in rivers and creeks are expected to rise and cause flooding in some parts of the city.
“Pictures taken at the site indicate that these structures impede the normal and natural flow of water, retarding its exit to the sea and thereby becoming one of the main causes of flood in the coastal area,” Villarete said in a memorandum he issued yesterday.
The recommendation was based on the field inspection report of his staff, which confirmed the presence of illegal structures erected over and along the sides of the creek, beyond the three-meter easement on both sides as allowed by law.
According to the report, the structures are scattered from the area beside the Innodata building to the Cebu City abattoir.
Mahiga Creek is located on the political boundary between the cities of Cebu and Mandaue.
Just near the bridge upstream of the creek, around 10 structures encroached on the three-meter easement on both sides on the Cebu City side.
One of the structures was newly constructed beside a funeral parlor and stands over the river.
Going downstream, five structures also stand over the river and in the area approaching the abattoir; some 50 structures encroached on the three-meter easement. Another 20 structures by the river were seen near the slaughterhouse.
“In as much as these structures violate the legal easements along rivers and waterways as stated in national and local laws, it is recommended that these be demolished in the interest of the general welfare,” Villarete said. (LCR)
