DILG to barangays: Reinforce Duterte’s road-clearing order

CLOSE to 2,000 barangays in Cebu Province are directed to form its own validation teams to improve the monitoring of road-clearing operations.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Cebu Director Jhoaden Lucero said the matter is part of the continued implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to clear roads of illegal obstructions within 75 calendar days.

Under DILG Memorandum Circular 2020-027, all LGUs are ordered to remove obstructions in all provincial, city, municipal and barangay roads, and national primary and secondary roads.

An amended and updated version of the memorandum lays out the additional roles of local chief executives and the guidelines for road-clearing operations. It directs all mayors to monitor the implementation of the road clearing at the barangay level.

Barangay captains “shall be in charge of the conduct of road-clearing operations in barangay roads and minor public-use streets within their jurisdiction, as well as the maintenance of other local roads turned over by the city or municipal government.”

Lucero said they started their information dissemination and seminars with village chiefs in the province as early as Jan. 15, 2020.

The move will help prevent complaints and similar issues encountered by municipalities and cities, such as confusion over guidelines, among others.

Lucero said the updated version of the memorandum provides that the 75- day clearing period shall start on Feb. 16 and end on April 30.

The validation team will compose of the DILG provincial or city director, or the local government operations officer; a representative from the Philippine National Police; and a representative from the Bureau of Fire Protection.

“Throughout the 75-day implementation of this directive, the said team shall, for at least once every two weeks, interface with the local chief executive or their representatives to discuss the implementation and compliance of the local government unit (LGU).” Sought for comment, Provincial Board (PB) Member Celestino Martinez III said the implementation of the order is doable since the road-clearing operations were already started by the cities and towns last year.

Martinez is an ex-officio member at the PB being the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay Cebu Chapter. He is the barangay captain of Cayang, Bogo City.

“There’s no problem because road clearing is actually overlooked. I don’t think the barangays are left alone. In some way, it also shares the burden of the LGU concerned.

There is hand-in-hand coordination,” he said. (RTF)

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