Special task force created: City to reclaim river easements

CEBU, Philippines —The Cebu City government has created a special task force to lead a citywide effort to recover the legally mandated three-meter easements along rivers, creeks and drainage channels as part of its intensified campaign against perennial flooding.

Mayor Nestor Archival has issued Executive Order No. 117 creating the Cebu City 3-Meter Easement Recovery Task Force, which will inventory waterways, document obstructions and coordinate efforts to protect and restore river systems across the city.

The task force will operate under the Office of the Mayor and report directly to Archival.

The executive order cites the progressive narrowing of waterways due to structures, unauthorized construction, dumping and other obstructions that reduce the capacity of rivers and creeks to carry water, contributing to flooding.

It also invokes the Water Code of the Philippines, which requires a three-meter easement along rivers and streams in urban areas.

The task force will be headed by newly appointed City Administrator Briccio Joseph Boholst, with representatives from the Office of the Building Official, the Cebu City Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement team, the City Legal Office and the Liga ng mga Barangay.

It will oversee field operations covering the city's eight major waterway systems--Estero de Parian, Lahug, Mahiga, Butuanon, Guadalupe, Tagunol, Kinalumsan and Bulacao.

Among its responsibilities are identifying structures and activities that may have encroached on waterways, maintaining a centralized monitoring database, coordinating with technical offices, and recommending engineering, environmental and legal measures for waterway restoration.

However, the order emphasizes that the task force cannot independently declare structures illegal or carry out demolitions without validation by the proper authorities and compliance with due process.

The creation of the task force comes as the Archival administration intensifies efforts to address flooding in the city.

Earlier, Archival personally inspected portions of the Colon area to assess drainage and waterway conditions. He also said the city would meet with affected property owners as part of efforts to clear obstructions and reclaim easement areas.

The mayor has likewise been visiting other flood-prone areas across the city to assess conditions and identify possible interventions.

The move also revives an initiative pursued by former mayor Mike Rama, who pushed for the recovery of three-meter river easements under his anti-flooding campaign dubbed “Gubat Kontra sa Baha.”

The program sought to enforce provisions of the Water Code by clearing structures that had encroached on riverbanks, although implementation eventually slowed following the change in city leadership.

Earlier reports also noted that the Archival administration intended to continue and strengthen these efforts, including revalidating affected structures and households along waterways while ensuring legal safeguards and due process.

City officials have also acknowledged the challenges posed by relocation concerns and long-standing riverbank occupancy.

City Hall said priority attention under the recovery program may be given to waterways in flood-prone areas, sections with substantial encroachments and obstructions, densely populated communities, and river systems identified as posing significant public safety risks.(CEBU NEWS)