A VALIDATION team from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Western Visayas will be in Bacolod City Tuesday, October 2, to validate the reports of the barangays in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to rid public streets of obstructions to facilitate the orderly use of thoroughfares.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said on Monday, October 1, the DILG-Western Visayas will validate the report of the barangays which some of them submitted a perfect score on the demolition of illegal structures within their jurisdictions.
The validation team will be composed of DILG personnel and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Leonardia said September 27 had passed, which is the deadline of the DILG’s directive. Based on the report of the barangays, about 94.07 percent of all the 11,799 illegal structures have been demolished.
Of the 11,799 illegal structures, 11,099 structures were demolished. Some of them were not removed because of the legal issues.
Leonardia said they are still waiting for the guidelines on how to implement the sanctions against the erring barangay officials.
“We hope that a clear set of guidelines will be given to us before we start implementing (sanction). 11,099 structures is not a joke, so we have to give credit to our barangay officials for having done these. Although it’s not perfect, but it’s almost perfect,” he said.
Executive Assistant Butch Soliguen, cluster head on social services and barangay affairs, said of the 61 barangays, 29 were able to demolish 100 percent of the illegal structures within their areas of jurisdiction.
These are Barangays 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 37, Alangilan, Felisa, Granada, Mandalagan, Montevista, Pahanocoy, Punta Taytay, Villamonte, and Vista Alegre.
Soliguen said the DILG’s validation team will be in Bacolod until Thursday, October 3.
After the validation, he said the DILG will also meet with the mayor to discuss the result of their inspection.
The demolition of illegal structures is pursuant to DILG Memorandum Circular 2019-121, dated July 29, 2019, directing local government officials, from the mayors down to barangay captains, to implement the clearing of roads.
The memorandum stated that within 60 calendar days, significant results must be achieved, documented, and reported together with the efforts of the LGUs to sustain the same.
The memorandum, dated September 11, stated that the clearing operations pursuant to DILG Memorandum Circular 2019-121 with the corresponding inventories of illegal structures, public nuisance, and any unlawful obstructions on public roads alleys, and other thoroughfares must be submitted to the Office of the City Mayor and duly reported to the DILG.