The city will be pursuing the demolition of illegal and unstable structures erected along Marcos Highway and Naguilian Road to pave the way for the implementation of the public works department’s road widening project and to ensure the safety of public in the said areas.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong directed the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) to implement the dismantling of the reported unstable structures earlier affected by the ongoing road widening project and to update him on the latest developments on the said matter.
He stated it is important to demolish the such illegal and unstable structures to ensure the protection of life and limb and to remove the eyesores in the said areas.
For his part, City Building Official Arch. Johnny Degay disclosed that the structures that were affected by the ongoing road widening project of the public works department have no building permits and were already issued notices of violation.
He admitted that some of the structures had already become unstable because of the effect of the road widening project, thus, the need for these to be demolished before any untoward incident will happen.
According to him, the CBAO is just awaiting the lapse of the notices of violation that were issued against the building owners before calling for the required pre-demolition conference prior to the implementation of the dismantling of the structures once owners will not agree to voluntarily remove the same.
He claimed that most of the reported unstable and illegal structures are located along the stretch of Marcos Highway and Naguilian Road which were affected by the implementation of the public works department’s road widening project intended to recover portions of the national roads that were built upon by enterprising building owners.
Degay stipulated that the areas where the unstable structures were constructed have no titles in the name of the owners as the same form part of the road-right-of-way of the aforesaid national roads, thus, these structures in the areas are considered illegal, and that they must be demolished in the first place.
Last year, the public works department in close coordination with the city government aggressively implemented the mandated road widening project along major roads around the city that caused the dismantling of hundreds of illegal structures that have encroached on the road-right-of-way of national roads pursuant to existing laws, rules and regulations.
The city building official asserted that the city government is inclined to aggressively implement the government’s road widening project to help in reclaiming built up portions of national roads to contribute in efforts to ease the worsening congestions in various roads around the city caused by the significant increase in the number of vehicles plying the city’s roads daily.
The widened portions of the roads are now being concreted after the public works department provided for the necessary funds to pave the same for the safe use of the public in their convenient travel inside and outside the city.
By Dexter A. See