BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan ordered the city engineer’s office to submit to the city council and the city planning and development office the complete inventory of national and local roads to allow concerned government agencies and the local government to pursue the demolition of structures that were found to have encroached in the various road-right-of-way.
The local chief executive cited the need to complete the inventory of the city’s road network in order to effectively and efficiently pinpoint the structures that illegally encroached on the city’s road-right-of-way and subsequently issue the orders for the removal of obstructions that impede the smooth flow of traffic in the different parts of the city.
In the case of the national roads, he directed the city engineer’s office to coordinate with the Department of Public Works and Highways – Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO) in order to seed up the removal of illegal structures that were erected on road-right-of-way of national roads to send a message to individuals wanting to continue intruding on roads not to do the same or else their structures will be demolished.
“We have to be decisive on the demolition of illegal structures over road-right-of-way so that we will be able to lessen encroachers that impede the smooth flow of traffic along the city’s road network,” Domogan stressed.
He said the city buildings and architecture office (CBAO) must also coordinate with the city engineer’s office and the BCDEO in order to fastrack the demolition of illegal structures within road-right-of-way while the structures are undergoing construction because it is difficult to remove structures that are already completed considering the need for such removal to undergo the required due process.
In the inventory of city roads, the city mayor cited concerned offices must be able to pinpoint barangay and city roads so that the city government could already finalize its comprehensive plan on how to undertake the implementation and prioritization of road projects over such roads.
It can be recalled that the implementation of public works projects along national roads have been questioned by citizens, saying that instead of good roads, concreting projects must also be cascaded down to the barangays roads where most need improvements and paving.
However, Domogan explained national funds earmarked for the rehabilitation of national roads cannot be realigned for barangay or city roads because it would be considered as technical malversation and officials who will initiate such acts will be charged accordingly.
According to him, local funds will be used to bankroll the implementation of projects on city and barangay roads, depending on the prioritization to be done by the city development council which is in charge of identifying the priority projects where the 20 percent local development fund will be used, especially in terms of hard infrastructure.
Domogan appealed to the public for understanding on the on-going projects not only in the city but also in other parts of the region because the DPWH is the one in charge of project implementation in national funds while it is the local government that takes charge of city and barangay roads.
By Dexter A. See