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BUILDING inspectors have initially found 60 structures obstructing the waterways in Cebu City.
Most are residential and commercial buildings along Colón Street and General Maxilom Avenue (Mango), said on Monday, October 19, 2020, the head of the Office of the Construction Official (OBO), Florante Catalan.
He said the structures were identified in a report he will present to Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella on Tuesday, October 20.
City officials have blamed the massive flooding in Cebu City on October 13 on obstructions in waterways and the huge volume of trash that clogged drainage systems, rivers and streams.
Labella will meet with the owners of the identified establishments, along with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), to discuss measures to solve the problem.
Easement rule
Catalán said the structures must be removed because they violate the National Building Code and the three-meter easement rule under the Philippine Civil Code and the Philippine Water Code.
He said those who don’t remove the obstructions will face charges.
“If they do not remove it, the City Council will present a case,” said Catalan.
Article 638 of the Civil Code establishes that “the banks of rivers and streams, even if they are privately owned, are subject in their entirety and within an area of three meters along their banks, to the easement for public use in the general interest of navigation, flotation, fishing and rescue ”.
Article 52 of the Water Code adds that “no person shall be allowed to stay in this area longer than necessary for recreation, navigation, flotation, fishing or rescue or to build structures of any kind.”
Earlier, Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo said he will clarify with DPWH if permits have been issued for the construction of these structures.
Garbage
Labella will also meet with bottled water manufacturers in the city on October 20 to find ways to stop the indiscriminate disposal of plastic bottles.
Empty plastic bottles were among the tons of trash that clogged streams, contributing to flooding.
During the two-day cleanup after the massive flood, the Department of Public Services (DPS) collected a total of 235 tons of trash, including empty plastic bottles, from streams.
Editha Peros, officer in charge of the Cebu City Natural Resources and Environment Office (Cenro), admitted that Cenro did not regularly clean the city’s waterways.
She said they lacked the manpower because Cenro’s staff was assigned to the Cebu City command center, which also handles cases related to the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic in addition to situations. of emergency.
Since the massive flooding on October 13, staff from DPS, Cenro, and the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) have been cleaning up Tejero Creek and other major streams in the city. (JJL)
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