City officials requested the Department of Public Works and Highways–Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Land Management Service (DENR-LMS) for guidance and to provide further clarification, legal basis and/or jurisprudence on the procurements made by its representative on the applicable widths of road-right-of-way in the maintenance of national/city roads in the city.
Under Resolution No. 197, series of 2023, the Committee on Laws, Human Rights and Justice, in its 2nd indorsement dated March 14, 2023, recommended the above request for clarifications and illustrations.
Among the guidance being requested by the city’s legislative body include the applicable general rule on the measurement of road-right-of-way in the city; the exemptions to the aforesaid rule; the application of Executive Order No. 621 issued on September 18, 1980 which amended Executive Order No. 113 dated January 1, 1955 which provides for national roads to have a right of way of not less than 20 meters which may even be reduced to 15 meters in urban areas; how reservation of road-right-of-way may be made and the difference between patented and unpatented parcels of lands affected by road-widening projects being implemented by various government agencies.
Earlier, the council invited representatives from the DPWH-BCDEO, City Planning and Development Office, and the City Public Order and Safety Division of the City Mayor’s Office to shed light on the implementation of the city’s road-right-of-way and infrastructure projects where various issues and concerns were raised on the standard road-right-of-way of national and city roads within the jurisdiction of the city.
The council expressed hope that the concerned government agencies will be able to provide the substantial legal basis in ascertaining the road-right-of-way of national and city roads for the guidance of policy makers and decision makers.
