MABALACAT City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo has urged his constituents to support the road clearing drive of the City Government.
Garbo appealed to owners of business establishments and residential houses to voluntarily demolish their properties that encroached in national, municipal and barangay roads.
"Pakiusap ko po sa mga remaining pa na nakikita niyo po na obstruction at nag encroach sila sa public domain, kung pwede po sana kayo na po ang magboluntaryong magtanggal dahil kapag may nakita po kami, we will be forced to remove those establishments," he said.
He said the road clearing operation in the city's 27 barangays, including the commercial district of Dau, is almost 90 percent.
The City Public Safety Office is assisting in the road clearing of the local government, said Garbo.
"Ngayon ang clearing na iyon ay pina-operate ko na rin sa ating City Public Safety Office para maayos na lahat. Yung mga dumi at pinag-anuhan ng semento ongoing na. So ngayon yung clearing na lang talaga," the mayor said.
He said challenges in the program include the strong objection of those affected by the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Local officials who failed to implement the road clearing directive will be penalized, he said.
"Of course, maraming nag-oobject sila, but sabi namin, may batas tayo at may utos at direktiba ang ating presidente and we have to strictly follow that because kung hindi namin ma-implement kami naman ang tatamaan," Garbo said.
The City Government is providing assistance to selected individuals affected by the road clearing operations, he added.
"Kung minsan, mayroon naman tayong binibigay din yung disturbance compensation, kahit paano binibigyan natin sila ng assistance," Garbo said.