THE Cebu City government has ordered White Knight Hotel along General Maxilom Ave. to remove columns it had installed on a waterway which are believed to have aided the monstrous floods in the former Mango Avenue last Oct. 13, 2020.
The columns were reportedly built by the hotel to support a bridge going towards the establishment.
City Attorney Rey Gealon said they are giving the hotel management 10 days to remove the structure so that wastes from upstream will no longer get stuck in the area when flooding occurs.
SunStar Cebu sought White Knight Hotel’s comment on the order but the establishment had yet to issue a statement as of press time.
The city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) discovered the presence of the columns during an inspection conducted along General Maxilom Avenue after the floods.
The notice to remove the columns issued by Gealon was received by Michael Añero, one of the managers of White Knight Hotel, on Oct. 27 or a day after the owners of around 83 buildings in uptown Cebu City were summoned to a meeting by Mayor Edgardo Labella.
During the meeting, Labella discussed the possible demolition of illegal structures along the city’s waterways.
The building owners and their representatives expressed their willingness to remove illegal structures near waterways to solve the city’s floods.
In an interview on Friday, Oct. 30, Labella said the DEPW can help remove the structures if the building owners seek the City’s help.
Those who refuse to remove illegal structures could face sanctions for violation of the Revised National Plumbing Code under Presidential Decree 296 which prohibits persons’ encroachment along waterways, and Cebu City Ordinance 1481.
Aside from administrative charges, the building owner could also lose his business and sanitary permits issued by the City. (PAC / JKV)