TWO commercial establishments have been recommended for closure, while three residential structures have been endorsed for a clearing operation for reportedly violating the three-meter easement along Estero de Parian in Cebu City.
These businesses are pension houses, while the residential structures are a dormitory and two mixed-use buildings, according to retired general Melquiades Feliciano, chief implementer of the Task Force Gubat sa Baha (TFGB).
Feliciano told SunStar Cebu in a phone interview on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, that the TFGB had already submitted these recommendations to Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia’s office.
These five non-compliant structures are part of 195 establishments situated along Estero de Parian, according to Feliciano.
The majority of establishment owners have agreed to remove their illegal structures, Feliciano added.
The task force chief said the pension houses had been issued with cease-and-desist orders by the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) but failed to comply.
The TFGB chief said if the pension houses still do not follow the BPLO’s orders, the City Legal Office (CLO) might recommend closure.
For the residential structures, the process involves a clearing order endorsed to the CLO. Personnel from the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement team will conduct the clearing operation, which involves the destruction of structures that encroached on the three-meter easement.
The task force, established in 2022, focuses on implementing the three-meter easement rule mandated by Presidential Decree 1067, also known as the Water Code of the Philippines. This decree requires a three-meter easement zone in urban areas along rivers, streams, seas, and lakes for public use. / CDF