BAGUIO CITY – City officials recently invoked the pertinent provisions of Executive Order (EO) No. 621, series of 1980 and urged and directed the Cordillera offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-CAR), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-CAR), the City Engineering Office (CEO), the City Assessor’s Office (CASSO) and the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), to apply and implement the same.
Under Resolution No. 348, series of 2024, it is deemed necessary for the DPWH-CAR to implement the reduction of right-of-way for national roads from 30 meters to 15 meters in the city, a highly urbanized area, based on the provisions of EO 621, series of 1980.
The council also requested the DPWH-CAR, DENR-CAR, CEO, CASSO and CPDO for their preferential attention on the resolution and to inform and submit their respective actions to the body within 30 days from receipt of the same.
EO 113, series of 1955 established the minimum width of national roads of 20 meters while EO 621, series of 1980 amended EO 113, series of 1955 in establishing the classification of roads.
Based on the amended presidential issuance, national roads shall have a right-of-way of not less than 20 meters, provided, that such minimum width may be reduced at the discretion of the Minister of Public Highways to 15 meters in highly urbanized areas and a road-right-of-way of at least 60 meters shall be reserved for roads constructed through unpatented public land and at least 120 meters reserved through naturally forested areas of aesthetic or scientific value.
The body claimed that EO 113, series of 1955 was amended to minimize social problems involved in the dislocation of residents in highly urbanized areas.
According to the resolution, Baguio City, once a grassy marshland in the highlands of Benguet, has become a progressive highly urbanized city and a prime tourist destination in the country.
Earlier, the city was named the Most Competitive High Urbanized City in Northern Luzon and ranked 17th overall in the country based on the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index and the explosive and unabated growth of urban areas is considered one of the most important indicators that characterize the country’s development process.
The body stipulated that in highly urbanized areas, both sides of the roads are occupied by residential houses and commercial buildings of permanent construction.
Further, owners of the residential houses are reluctant to sell portions of their lots or houses to provide road-right-of-way for the minimum width requirements of national roads as specified under EO No. 113, series of 1955 for the reason that they have no other lots to move to, not to mention the sentimental reason that in many instances these houses have been inherited from their forebears.
DPWH engineers have determined that a minimum width of 15 meters for national roads passing through highly urbanized areas would be sufficient, provided, that the design of the road would be suitably altered with closed drainage, curbs, and gutters which in many instances is more economical than expropriating high prized urban land and destroying buildings
The council pointed out that many applications for titling of lands within the declared national roads in the city being a highly urbanized city cannot be given due course due to the implementation of the 60 meter right-of-way for roads constructed in unpatented public land.
Moreover, the implementation of the 15-meter road-right-of-way in highly urbanized areas needs the discretion and approval of the DPWH Secretary.
Under EO 124, series of 1987 otherwise known as the Reorganization Act of the Ministry of Public works and Highways, the DPWH, through the Secretary, was given the power to classify roads and highways and also to provide and authorize the conversion of roads and highway from one category to another.
Public works Secretary Manuel Bonoan issued a memorandum dated June 23, 2023 which granted the request for clearance of Ms. Elizabeth Vascara for the titling of their property located at No. 59 Gibraltar Road, Baguio City reducing the right-of-way to 15 meters wide in view of the fact that Baguio City is a highly urbanized area. By Dexter A. See