QC finishes clearing operations – Belmonte

QUEZON City Mayor Josefina “Joy” Belmonte announced on Friday the local government successfully completed its clearing operations following orders from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to rid the streets of obstructions.

“Quezon City is 100-percent done in its clearing operations. For the past weeks, the QC local government through its Task Force 60 Days, had been persistent in its efforts to comply with the rules of the Department of Interior and Local Government in this operations,” Belmonte said.

“Actually, we went over and beyond what was required by also clearing streets that are not on the list,” Belmonte said, as she noted the DILG directive covers national roads and primary and secondary roads that include Mabuhay Lanes identified by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the proposed Quezon City Bayanihan sa Lansangan routes.

Belmonte said, “A total of 152 roads and streets were cleared from obstructions and illegal structures, including national roads and Mabuhay Lanes traversing the city such as Quezon Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue, Quirino Avenue and Katipunan Avenue, among others. Many side streets and secondary roads were also cleared during the process.”

Illegal structures such as police stations, barangay (village) halls and chapels built on sidewalks and public roads have also been demolished as part of the initiative, Belmonte added.

Lawyer Ariel Inton, officer in charge of the city’s Task Force for Transport and Traffic Management, assured local residents that even after the 60-day period, small streets, alleys and thoroughfares would also undergo clearing operations.

Ordinances are also being proposed to sustain these efforts, such as the creation of the Department of Transport and Management that will oversee the traffic management in the city. Barangay officials were also tasked to maintain and continue the cleanliness of their streets and communities.

The QC Bayanihan sa Lansangan was also created as part of the city’s efforts to sustain the cleared streets “forever” by giving stalls and market places for displaced vendors, talking to private lot owners for possible parking areas, and identifying more alternative routes for motorists.