FOUR of the seven local government units (LGUs) in Cebu that failed to follow the National Government’s directive to conduct significant road clearing in their areas earlier this month assured that they are ready for reassessment.
Though they have yet to receive orders from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the officials of Carmen, Compostela, Moalboal and Pinamungajan towns said they have taken steps to ensure that their roads are clear of obstructions.
LGUs that obtained a rating of 70 percent and below in road clearance are considered as non-compliant. Those that got 71-80 percent are considered low compliant, while LGUs with 81-90 percent clearance are medium compliant. LGUs with a rating of 91-100 percent are high compliant. On Oct. 11, 2019, the DILG released its road clearing compliance rating and 97 LGUs garnered a failure rating; 12 of these were from Region 7.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said he would issue a show cause order to non-compliant LGUs, which would be given five days to explain their non-compliance or the DILG would have to submit their names to the President and file necessary complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Pinamungajan Mayor Glenn Baricuatro said he has no plans to wait for the DILG’s order. He immediately sent a letter to the agency after his town failed the latter’s assessment.
Baricuatro said he is seeking clarification from the DILG on the parameters of its assessment.
He was surprised that his town failed the assessment when his administration had cleared public roads.
The local executive further said the DILG failed to assess the enactment of Pinamungajan’s traffic ordinance, which penalizes drivers who park on public roads.
Baricuatro even sought the assistance of the local parish in opening an available property near the church.
The vacant lot now serves as the terminal for public utility vehicles.
Despite the failing grade Pinamungajan received from the DILG, Baricuatro said he did not allow the clearing operations to be stopped.
In a separate interview, Teddy Cagang, chief of staff of Compostela Mayor Froilan Quiño, said he did not know why the town failed in the compliance rating.
However, he said they are monitoring the illegal road parking, illegal road structures and anything that can cause obstruction to the town’s roads or sidewalks.
Cagang said Compostela is ready if the DILG will conduct another inspection; this time, he said, it is impossible for the town to fail.
Pepito Damiles Jr., Carmen administrative officer, said they only lacked two percent in order to pass the compliance rating.
He said one of the reasons for the failing mark was the presence of purok centers along the town’s roads. When municipal personnel demolished these structures, the ratings had already been released.
Carmen also never failed to monitor the cleared roads in the barangays, said Damiles.
Asuncion Palmitos, who works as Moalboal’s planning and development coordinator, said they also have prepared their explanation for the failed mark it got from the DILG. The municipality also documented actions it had taken before the assessment.
She added that their residents have voluntarily demolished their illegal structures. For now, the municipal personnel are monitoring every barangay and the town’s market place, which was one of the reasons why the town failed in the DILG compliance ratings.
Meanwhile, the Mandaue City Law Enforcement Unit (MCLU) has created three teams to monitor the cleared barangays. The MCLU has cleared 16 barangays out of the 27 barangays in Mandaue City as of Oct. 28.
Edwin Jumao-as, head of the MCLU, said they have cleared an estimated 300 obstructions from all barangays that went for the operation. (JKV, RSR, KFD)