BAGUIO CITY – The local government in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways-Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO) uncovered the presence of some two hundred establishments that allegedly encroached on the road-right-of-way of the Palispis-Aspiras highway, popularly known as Marcos highway.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong said there is a need to immediately dismantle the encroachments introduced by the over 200 establishments on parts of the road-right-of-way to bring those areas back as part of the road thus ensuring the smooth flow of traffic along one of the major roads leading to the city proper.
However, he pointed out the dismantling of the encroachments must pass through the required due process to prevent issues with property owners against the demolition to be done by the city in coordination with the DPWH-BCDEO.
Initially, the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) and the DPWH-BCDEO issued notices of demolition to some 7 establishments that reportedly encroached on the road-right-of-way of the Palispis-Aspiras highway and that the same were due for implementation.
Under the prevailing rules and regulations, owners of establishments who were issued notices of demolition for encroaching on the road-right-of-way of the Palispis-Aspiras highway or other national roads in the city can file their appeal to the Public Works Secretary.
Further, owners of establishments that encroached on the road-righty-of-way of national roads will be issued 3 notices for them to voluntarily remove or dismantle the structures they built over portions of the road within a 21-day period and that their refusal to do so will constrain the local government and the DPWH-BCDEO to facilitate the dismantling of those illegal structures.
Magalong ordered the CBAO, in coordination with the DPWH-BCDEO, to already issue the appropriate notices to the identified owners of establishments that encroached on the road-right-of-way of the Palispis-Aspiras highway so that the dismantling of the structures could immediately be done once they refuse to comply with the request of voluntary demolition.
The city mayor conducted an ocular inspection along the Palispis-Aspiras highway to ascertain the areas where encroachments on the road-right-of-way were done by the identified establishments and to remind business owners to voluntarily remove such encroachments to prevent the local government from doing it for them.
Earlier, the CBAO and the DPWH-BCDEO conducted an inspection along major roads around the city to identify the establishments that encroached on the road-right-of-way of the national roads and subsequent notices were issued to the establishment owners but no concrete actions were done by the establishment owners to dismantle the structures they erected on the roads.
He appealed to the owners of establishments along national roads who were already issued notices to dismantle their structures that encroached on the roads and not to wait for the city demolition team to do the removal of the encroachments.
By Dexter A. See
