THE CITY Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance requiring those applying for a permit to excavate in the city to post a cash bond to guarantee the restoration of the area excavated, among others, before the necessary excavation permit will be issued.
Authored by Councilor Leandro Yangot, Jr, the ordinance said it will soon be a policy of the City Government to impose this requirement to guarantee the restoration of excavated areas.
Under the proposed ordinance, applicants for excavation permit will post a cash bond of P30,000 for the first 50 linear meters, P100,000 for more than 50 linear meters but not exceeding 200 linear meters; P250,000 for more than 200 linear meters but not exceeding 600 linear meters and P500,000 for more than 600 linear meters.
However, Yangot proposed the excavation activities will not be more than 200 linear meters at a time, measured longitudinally; excavation of succeeding sections will be allowed only after the restoration of the immediately preceding excavated section to its original condition.
The proposal added the cash bond will be paid to the City Treasury Office and will be treated as a trust fund to answer for cost of restoration of the affected pavement of the owner or the contractor fails to restore the said pavement within the period of five days after completion of the job.
Penalties for expired excavation permits and violation of the terms and conditions of the permit will be computed at the rate of P5,000 per day and such other damages and expenses that may be incurred by the city government and third persons as a result of or due to the failure of the applicant to restore the area excavated to its original state.
The cash bond will be withdrawn after 30 days from the time the restoration was completed as certified by the City Engineer and upon presentation of a certificate of completion duly noted by the chairman of the barangay having jurisdiction over the affected area.
Violators of the ordinance will be penalized by a fine of P5,000 per violation.
Yangot cited it has been observed that numerous excavations in the city are virtually abandoned by contractors which is a gross violation of their respective undertakings to immediately restore the areas excavated to its original state and quality.
The alderman asserted it is necessary and proper to impose stringent rules and regulations in order to ensure the prompt and appropriate restoration of excavated areas in the different parts of the city. (Dexter See/PIO)