Cleanup to affect over 3,000 families

CEBU, Philippines - Not only families living on the banks and on Mahiga River will be affected by the clean up operations of the Cebu City government as a flood mitigating measure.

All families living on the banks of rivers and creeks estimated to be over 3,000 will be affected from various barangays.

These are families living within the three-meter easement zone of the rivers and creeks in sitio Lahing-lahing in barangay Mabolo, Tagunol in Basak-Pardo, Basak San Nicolas, Kinalumsan River in barangay Mambaling, Bulacao River, Cogon-Pardo creek and Tejero creek.

The city is allocating P80 million of its calamity fund for the dredging of the waterways to improve the city’s drainage system.

These creeks and rivers shall be cleared and dredged immediately after the clearing and dredging of Mahiga River in block 27 of the North Reclamation Area.

The clearing of the three-meter easement zone must be done to allow dredging equipment to get to the area.

The easement zone of all rivers and creeks in the city are apparently occupied by informal settlers.

Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor Chief Danilo Gabiana said that there are more than 3,000 families in the entire city, who live within the three meter easement zone.

The city government announced that all illegal structures of these 3,000 families shall be demolished in due time.

The dredging efforts are currently done one at a time because they had to evict the occupants in the most humane way they can.

The Squatters Prevention Elimination and Encroachment Division have started the demolition of structures in Mahiga River last Saturday.

Six structures of the almost a thousand structures built in the whole stretch of the river have been demolished while the rest will be demolished today.

SPEED supposedly was scheduled to resume demolition yesterday, but they opted to inspect first to identify the structures to be prioritized.

Their priorities are the structures that have encroached into the river and the rest within the three-meter easement zone shall follow.

City Administrator Jose Mari Poblete said that the more than 1,200 individuals affected by the clearing in Mahiga River will be given a temporary shelter until the Department of Social Welfare and Services is able to assess and give the assistance they need.

Poblete said that they are negotiating now with 2GO Courier Service if the latter could provide them the same container vans provided for the devotees during the Sinulog.

Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias said that he requested 50 container vans, but is not sure if 2GO could provide that much because it will depend on the availability of these vans.

Each van could accommodate at most 25 persons or three families.

Cabarrubias said that families will have temporary shelter for a month, but they must spend their time looking for a place to live or go back to the town where they originally live.

Acting Mayor Joy Augustus Young said that most of the informal settlers are from the province and have nowhere else to stay here so they opt to build their structures on the danger zone.

“These people are not from Cebu City. They came here because pobre ang probinsya, di sila matagaan og trabaho. That should not be the case, di pwede mucompound atong problema.

“So we should strengthen DWUP and SPEED to monitor these areas nga kung naa mutukod, gub-on dayon,” Young said.

The acting mayor said that he will suggest to Mayor Michael Rama, when the latter returns, to spend the P100 million appropriated for the construction of drainage to the collection of garbage instead, which he sees will more likely solve the problem.

“We don’t need new drainage. We will just spend millions for that, but it will not solve the problem. Mugasto ta’g milyon unya maguba ra tungod sa basura. Let’s just clean our existing drainage and improve the collection of garbage,” Young said. — /NLQ   (FREEMAN NEWS)