THE local government in Candaba town, Pampanga was able to complete its road clearing operation ahead of the scheduled validation day on February 23, 2021.
Municipal Local Government Operations Officer Josephine Villanueva said at least 95 percent of roads were already rid of illegal structures and encroachments as part of the Road Clearing Operations 2.0 (RCO 2.0).
"The Candaba LGU has started the implementation of RCO 2.0 as early as first week of December and as of Wednesday, all 33 barangays have complied with the operations," she said.
The operation dismantled all road encroachments such as houses, stores, parking spaces, as well as illegal public utility vehicle (PUV) terminals.
Displaced PUVs, especially in Poblacion area, were designated their own terminals that will not encroach the roads and hamper traffic flow, Villanueva said.
She also noted the now-trending coffee shop, which was set-up at the roadside of Candaba-Baliuag road in Barangay Paligui.
"We already coordinated with the shop owner and we were told that they are operating four hours a day only so we provided a temporary permit provided that they do not exceed from the shoulder lane," she added.
Villanueva said the permit is valid until an available lot is found for them and other ambulant vendors.
"We do not want to displace these shops as they spur tourism so the local government is looking for an available shop where they can market permanently," she said.