Rama wants to clear roads of obstructions

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama wants all roads, particularly those leading to interior portions of barangays, cleared of obstructions.

In a press conference yesterday, Rama said he wants to restore the original width of the roads in Cebu City, not only in Barangay Luz, which was hit by a massive fire that razed close to 300 houses last week.

Rama said he wants the roads cleared of obstructions to make it easier for firetrucks to penetrate interior portions of barangays in cases of fire.

The mayor said he has observed that roads in several barangays have become narrow owing to illegal structures, including houses that are encroaching the sidewalks.

Rama, however, was not clear on how he intends to remove the illegal structures and obstructions.

City Ordinance 1481, nevertheless, empowers barangay officials to act on illegal constructions, including the terrace of houses that protrude to the road.

Rama said he welcomes the sentiments of some residents that existing roads be widened only up to eight meters and not 10 meters as originally planned. He, however, emphasized that there should be a one-meter sidewalk from the drainage systems.

When Rama and City Hall department heads inspected the fire scene in four sitios of Barangay Luz immediately after the incident last week, they found out that some houses have been constructed on top of sidewalks.

“Kon dili sila mosugot nga palapdan ang karsada, masunog ra gihapon unya ang ilang kabalayan kay dili man dayon makasulod ang mga trak sa bombero,” the mayor explained.

Cebu City Fire Marshall Aderson Comar said the huge fire trucks cannot pass through some access roads, particularly in thickly-populated barangays like Barangay Lorega-San Miguel.

Several years ago, one of the responding firetrucks of the Cebu City Fire Station was burned when it failed to retreat from the fire scene. The road leading to the scene in Sitio Ermita Beach in Barangay Ermita was very narrow.

Road Restoration

Meanwhile, the city government targets to complete the restoration of the six-meter road in the fire- stricken Barangay Luz as soon as possible so that the affected families, particularly those whose houses stood right beside the road, may return to the area and rebuild their houses.

For now, only families whose houses were built far from the road can start rebuilding.

“Lisud man gud kung nagsige mi’g restore sa road unya naa sila (families whose houses are along the road) basin malangan ang trabaho. So gihangyo sila nga inigkahuman na lang,” Poblete said.

“Anyway I have instructed the engineering department and CITOM to fast track the restoration,” he added.

Families whose lots are along the road will be the last to rebuild because they would need to wait for the restoration to finish. By May 30, all families should have already returned to their place, Poblete said.

It was only after a series of dialogues until last night that the residents agreed to the six-meter restoration.

The city government wants the road restored to its original width so that fire trucks and other emergency vehicles may access the area easily in the event of another fire.

The recent fire that affected over 2,000 individuals grew and spread immediately because the houses are close apart while the fire fighters had the hard time to penetrate the area due to narrow roads.

Poblete said they have scheduled to implement the Brigada Eskwela program for the Barangay Luz Elementary School where families are temporarily evacuated on June 2. The city government will provide the needed manpower for the program, which was supposed to be on May 26.

The Brigada Eskwela is a program that prepares schools for opening of classes. Volunteers clean classrooms and school grounds, among other things. – (FREEMAN)