Road work to drive 57 families away from Tejero

BARANGAY CAPTAIN ASKS ABOUT PROJECT FUNDS, RELOCATION SITE

SOME 57 families in Barangay Tejero will be displaced as the Cebu City Government will implement its road restoration project, which has been suspended for several months, on U. Alviola St.

City Hall’s demolition team—formerly called the Squatters Prevention, Elimination, and Encroachment Division (Speed) but now called the Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification, Enhancement (Probe) office—already sent a final notice to the affected families to clear and remove their illegal structures.

However, Tejero Barangay Captain Jessielou Cadungog wants the City to put off the implementation of the project until several concerns will be addressed.

In a letter to Mayor Michael Rama, Cadungog asked if the City has enough funds to finish the project.

The village official also wanted to know if the City has prepared a relocation site for the 57 affected families.

Cadungog added that the City should reveal if it has already set aside funds to pay for the private properties that will be affected by the road restoration project.

It was earlier said that some of the families whose houses have encroached on U. Alviola St. will be able to secure land titles for their home lots.

However, City Hall’s executive department opined that those claims are impossible, considering that road lots cannot be sold.

Cadungog, in his latter, also said requested the City to furnish their barangay a copy of the road plan for the road restoration project.

The mayor had wanted U. Alviola St. restored from five meters to 10 meters after a huge fire broke out in the area in July last year.

A bigger road, Rama had said, would allow fire trucks to easily maneuver the interior roads during fires. When the fire happened, narrow roads had kept the firefighters from immediately putting out the fire.

The road restoration project was supposed to be implemented last year but has been suspended for several times because of some opposition from the residents and barangay officials.