100 ‘illegal’ settlers to vacate houses

Over 100 informal settlers have agreed to vacate their dwellings in two barangays to pave the way for the completion of Cebu City government’s flood control projects.

City Council or Jerry Guardo, in an interview with The FREEMAN, said one of the priority projects right now is the Lahug River, specifically the boundaries between Barangays Tinago and Tejero.

Current work includes installation of sheet pi ling, widening, dredging and deepening of the creek.

The project is seen to address the recurring flooding problem.

However, the presence of illegal settlers in the area is reportedly causing delays in the construction work.

The Department of Public Works and Highways ( DPWH) has already downloaded P140 million for the relocation of informal settlers, said Guardo, the City Council’s chairman of the committee on infrastructure.

Guardo said the government has already identified a property in Sitio Silangan in Barangay Tejero and a property in Barangay Mambaling as possible areas for the construction of a mid- rise building, which can accommodate 80-100 families.

Once these properties are cleared for use, the city can build up to seven mid-rise buildings.

But Guardo said the site development and the construction of mid-rise buildings will take time.

He said the budget set aside for the said project will be reverted back to the national government if unused.

So the city decided to grant each affected household P35,000 in financial assistance.

“If we cannot implement the giving of financial assistance to the affected families, chances are it might be reverted back to the national government’s coffers by December,” said Guardo.

Thirty-five households in Barangay Tejero and 75 in Barangay Tinago have volunteered to move out of their houses once the cash aid is released.

Guardo said the city has yet to finalize the list of affected settlers.

Once finalized, the councilor will then author a resolution allowing Mayor Edgardo Labella to disburse the funds.

Aside from the Lahug River, other major waterways include the Guadalupe River, Kinalumsan River in Mambaling, Bulacao River and Mahiga Creek.

“We really have to recover the threemeter easement zone and the need for widening and deepening of our rivers. We really have to exert political will or else, flooding will not be solved. Many illegal structures really hamper the flow of water,” said Guardo.

For his part, Ramil Ayuman, the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head, said the Office of the Building Official (OBO) has already started inspecting establishments built along the creeks and city’s waterways to determine possible violations.

The office also had an ocular inspection of buildings on Maxilum Avenue where the 14-year-old boy was swept by floods. The boy was reported missing Tuesday and his body was found almost 48 hours later.

Ayuman said OBO has initially found some structural irregularities, but could not point it out yet specific violations.

He said though owners of houses and establishments obstructing the riverbeds will be called for a meeting for possible interventions and measures to help the city solve the flooding problems. —