Villar wants ban on subdivisions along waterways, riverbanks

MANILA, Philippines - In marking the second anniversary of the flooding brought by tropical storm “Ondoy” this month, Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. has filed a bill to ban the construction of subdivisions along riverbanks and near waterways in the country.

“This bill aims to ban the construction of houses along riverbanks, waterways, and banks of inland waters in order to prevent the loss of lives and property during heavy storms and floods,” Villar said in the explanatory note of his Senate Bill 2956, also known as Housing Ban Along Riverbanks Act of 2011.

Under the proposed bill, barangay chairpersons, mayors and provincial governors could be fined P50,000 each, serve six months in jail or both if there are houses built within 10 meters from the edge of “rivers and bodies of inland waters,” whether or not they issued construction permits.

“Repeated violation of this act shall be ground for their removal from office,” Villar said.

Villar, who was a real estate developer before running for public office, cited the 1991 landslide in Ormoc, Leyte that killed as many as 6,000 people.

“The government cited that a major factor which caused the death of thousands during heavy flooding is the housing settlement of people on riverbanks, coastal and other hazardous areas,” he said.