THE Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) Enforcement Team has asked the assistance of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the ongoing demolition of 33 houses along the Mambuloc Creek at barangays 10 and 12.
City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan said they need the assistance of the DPWH because some of the structures in said areas are made of concrete materials.
“It will take time to demolish the 33 structures and maybe we can finish this in five days,” he said.
He added the DPWH has an enough equipment to destroy the concrete structures.
On Thursday morning, July 11, the CLO Enforcement Team started the demolition of the 33 houses that were constructed in the danger zone.
City Administrator lawyer John Orola earlier said the 33 affected families were living in the danger zone so they should vacate the area.
Orola said the city government provided the relocation site to the affected families.
But of the 33 families, only 26 applied for pre-qualification of which only 15 were able to apply for relocation assistance.
After the demolition, the CLO will conduct the clearing operation in said two barangays.
Bayatan said that during the demolition, there were no resistance from the residents because they were already given enough time to vacate the area.
He said the affected families were given a notices and a validation was also conducted by the office of Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) in Western Visayas and Bacolod Housing Authority (BHA).
“They are living in the danger zone so they should vacate the area for their own safety and welfare. They are clogging the natural flow of the creek in the drainage and they are living in very unsanitary condition,” he added.