“IT’S more than substantial compliance.”
This was stressed by Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has given Bacolod an 87 percent on its accomplishment on road clearing operations.
Leonardia said the DILG’s passing rate is 70 percent, so being 87 percent is already okay.
On October 2 and 3, the validating team, which comprised of representatives from DILG-Iloilo led by its director, Roy Defino, Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP,) and civil society organizations, validated the reports of Bacolod in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to rid public streets of obstructions to facilitate the orderly use of thoroughfares.
“We thank our barangay captains and officials who worked so hard with the DILG, PNP, and city officials and others to achieve this difficult and sensitive task. We also appeal to those affected for their understanding and cooperation to comply with the President’s directive to clear roads and alleys from obstruction,” Leonardia said.
He said he is also thankful to those who voluntarily demolished their illegal structures.
“We’re dealing with almost 12,000 structures and more than the majority of them, they did it on their own, they demolished voluntarily. It was because they supported us and I’m very thankful to them,” he added.
Bacolod has a total of 11,799 illegal structures, and 11,099 of it were already demolished.
The actual road clearing or demolition of illegal structures has a total score of 50 points. Bacolod City only got 45 points.
The city got a perfect score of 15 points on implementation of the local ordinance or banning of illegal structures. Of the 15 points on rehabilitation, Bacolod got 10 points. In displacement plan, it got a perfect score of 10 points. In the inventory of road obstruction, Bacolod only got two points out of five points. And in grievance mechanism, the city got a perfect score of five points.
29 barangays out of 61 have submitted their reports that they 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.
Joy Maredith Madayag, DILG-Bacolod director, earlier said the DILG Central Office will hold a final validation inspection in Bacolod City on its accomplishment on road clearing operations.
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.
“This is still an on-going matter. And on the basis of the deadline as mandated (substantial compliance), it is already more than substantial compliance (87 percent),” Leonardia said.
He said it was not yet specified if there were barangays to be sanctioned in Bacolod City.
For his part, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said the DILG created a team to validate the accomplishments of barangays.
“The city government will not validate the reports of the barangays. The DILG created a team to validate the barangays accomplishments, especially those who submitted that they were able to demolish 100 percent of the illegal structures within their areas of jurisdiction,” he said.
He added that the barangay officials were also tasked to monitor their barangays to ensure that all illegal structures will be demolished.