Mayor Evelio Leonardia has welcomed the new order giving local government units (LGUs) 75 days to complete the second round of road-clearing operations in their respective towns and cities.
“We will follow the orders of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government). This is also an advance notice to all concerned that there’s another round to sustain this (initiative),” Leonardia said on Tuesday.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año announced on Monday the 75 days stated in Memorandum Circular 2020-027, which directs all LGUs to continue the implementation of the road-clearing directive and ensure that their efforts to maintain cleared roads are sustained.
This time, the clearing operations will cover local and tertiary roads.
Año told LGUs to enact or review existing ordinances in relation to the road-clearing operation; conduct an inventory of roads within their jurisdiction; conduct regular removal of obstructions in provincial, city, municipal, barangay roads, and national primary and secondary roads; and implement a displacement strategy for those affected by the operation.
He also directed them to rehabilitate cleared roads and establish a grievance mechanism in which citizens can report unremoved obstructions, provide suggestion, or voice implementation concerns.
Bacolod obtained a compliance rating of 87 percent in the initial 60-day road-clearing operations, based on the DILG validation report as of Oct. 18, 2019.
“The higher (the rating), the better for us but given the situation in Bacolod, which is a big city, we should not just think in terms of percentage but of actual demolition,” Leonardia said.
Figures released by the city government in January showed that of the total 11,517 illegal structures identified in the city’s 61 barangays, some 9,966 have been cleared.
The remaining 1,551 include private properties and areas occupied by residents seeking housing assistance.
“The last count of 11,000 is no joking matter. We have to give credit to the implementors,” he said.
In January, DILG-Bacolod City Director Ma. Joy Maredith Madayag instructed the barangay officials to submit reports on road-clearing operations every month.