FOLLOWING the order of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to show significant clearing of public roads of illegal structures within 60 days, Talisay and Cebu Cities have been identifying and clearing roads of obstructions.
In Talisay, the City Government took note of the makeshift houses and stalls that encroach on sidewalks in Barangays Poblacion, Dumlog and Tabunok.
The City of Talisay-Traffic Operations Development Authority (CT-Toda) has been tasked to coordinate with the three barangays for their removal.
Jonathan Tumulak, CT-Toda head, met with the village chiefs on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, to discuss the problem.
Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. said they first cleared the national highway through the strict implementation of the “no parking” policy and the clamping ordinance.
“We need to coordinate with officials of these three barangays and discuss the problem with their barangay councils. Stalls and houses have invaded the sidewalks. So pedestrians, instead of using the sidewalks, are forced to use the streets, causing traffic in these areas,” Tumulak said in Cebuano.
The mayor said they’re identifying areas in the city where individuals have taken over public properties or violated the easement rule.
In Cebu City, the Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (Probe) team conducted clearing operations in some parts of Osmeña Blvd. up to Sanciangko St. on Monday, July 29, after it rid M.L. Quezon Blvd. in Barangay Ermita of stall vendors.
Clarification
Raquel Arce, head of Probe, clarified that the clearing operation did not mean the area would be freed of vendors for good. She said they could return once they complied with the requirements.
She said vendors must secure a consent form from the establishments where they set up their stalls and a barangay clearance. They must also be registered voters.
She said they chose to clear the area because of some complaints they received on their Facebook page.
The clearing operations were in line with the President’s directive through the DILG to reclaim public roads and clear these of illegal structures.
“Way before the announcement of the President, we had already started (clearing operations) on M.L. Quezon (Blvd.),” said Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella.
Last July 15, Probe and the Department of Public Services (DPS) took down stalls on M.L. Quezon Blvd.
Labella said he will meet with the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Engineering and Public Works and City Transportation Office to identify other areas that need to be cleared.
The mayor said he also has to think about where to relocate displaced vendors.
Labella said he gave Arce the discretion to choose and propose areas that would be cleared.
The DILG, on Tuesday, July 30, reminded that Duterte’s order to clear public roads of any obstruction covers all local government units (LGUs).
“No local government is exempted from the directive. We are just giving extra attention to Metro Manila because the problem of road obstructions is most acute in the National Capital Region (NCR) but the memorandum circular covers the entire country,” said DILG Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya.
The DILG earlier set a 45-day deadline to clear the roads of obstructions, but Metro Manila mayors asked for an extension.
Año issued Memorandum Circular 2019-121 on Monday, July 29, setting a deadline of 60 calendar days for all LGUs.
“Within 60 calendar days, significant results must be achieved, documented and reported together with the efforts of the LGUs to sustain the same,” the directive states.
It directs all governors, mayors, and punong barangays to exercise their powers to reclaim public roads that are being used for private ends, rid them of illegal structures and constructions, rehabilitate them by placing street names and street lights, and carry out strategies to address possible displacement issues.
It also directs local chief executives to revoke permits that give authority to private entities to occupy public roads, alleys and other thoroughfares.
All provinces, highly urbanized cities, cities and municipalities were also ordered to prepare an inventory of all roads within their jurisdiction.
Traffic summit
To help component LGUs, provincial governments must share their Local Roads Network Development Plan which provides a Geographic Information System-based roads network map.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia announced that she planned to hold an inter-LGU traffic summit to address vehicular congestion across borders in response to the DILG memorandum.
“When it comes to clearing of structures or whatever obstacles that may be there in the roads, that’s the primary responsibility of LGUs, primarily the mayors. But it’s not to say that when it comes to overall traffic management, when it becomes an inter-LGU problem, that is when we, as governors, may step in,” Garcia said Tuesday, July 30.
The governor is looking into facilitating a traffic summit to “harmonize all traffic management efforts, endeavors, schemes and even traffic management operations in each of our individual LGUs.”
Garcia stressed the need for a more collaborative approach in addressing Cebu’s traffic situation since town and city mayors can only do so much within their own territorial jurisdiction.
“Ang mahitabo gud ani, kinahanglan gyud nato tanawon ang (What will happen is that we have to look at the) overall picture.... I believe it will be incumbent upon the Provincial Government to call for this traffic summit. But we can’t immediately call it because this really takes a lot of planning, especially I am also aware that each of our municipalities and cities are also now very focused on managing their own traffic issues within their LGU,” she said.
During the President’s State of the Nation Address last July 22, he ordered public roads to be cleared of any obstruction. (from FMD of Superbalita Cebu, JJL, RTF, SunStar Philippines)