The Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) and the City Engineers Office (CEO) recommended to the City Council that the illegally constructed bridge at Kabiguan Creek, Purok Mabinuligon, Barangay Sum-ag, be demolished.
The bridge impedes the natural flow of water and causes alleged flooding in several areas of the city.
City Legal Officer Carlos Romeo Carlos Ting, Jr. said yesterday they inspected the area on Monday, October 21, after several residents in Barangay Sum-ag were evacuated due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
He said the bridge, which was constructed by a private individual, caused the flood in several puroks in Barangay Sum-ag on Monday.
He added the owner of the bridge also agreed on the demolition of the structure and they will only put up a bamboo bridge so the residents can pass by.
Ting noted that the bridge was constructed using four culvert pipes which impeded the natural flow of water in the area.
“The flood-affected residents blamed the construction of the bridge which measures 12 meters,” Ting said.
Ting will also hold a meeting with the owner of the bridge this week to finalize the schedule of the demolition.
In September 2023, the City Council asked the CLO, CEO and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to investigate the alleged illegal construction of culvert at Kabiguan Creek, Purok Mabinuligon, Barangay Sum-ag.
Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, who authored a resolution, said they received a letter request from Purok President John Ray Tragico, requesting a copy of the approved subdivision plan for the proposed Jingle Subdivision in Purok Mabinuligon II, Barangay Sum-ag.
In the proposed subdivision, he said there was an alleged illegal construction of a culvert at Kabiguan Creek, which impeded the flow of water.
He added that upon checking with the Office of the Bacolod Housing Authority for the approved subdivision plan of the said proposed subdivision, the subdivision is not listed in their ledger of the list of subdivisions that were duly issued a development project. /MAP.