Lot owner wants J. Panis St. closed

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council, in an executive session yesterday, tackled the request to close part of J. Panis Street, one of the roads leading to the Cebu IT Park, and the move against it. 

Based on the letter of the stakeholders against the closure of the road, the request came after the lot owner won a court decision proving that part of J. Panis Street sits in his private property. The court decision reportedly resulted in the removal of residents from the area.

The owner, whose identity was not mentioned in the letter nor in the executive session, has reportedly proposed in a Barangay Kasambagan hearing last year that the road be closed and be replaced with an alternative road.

Years back, the city government and the lot owner reportedly had an agreement that the road would be used as an access road for the Lahug Domestic Airport.

According to the letter of the stakeholders, the owner said during their meeting that the ownership of the lot has been reverted back to him since the airport is non-existent anymore as it has been developed into an IT park.

The letter stated that the owner proposed to donate a side road, which he also owns, after J. Panis St. would be closed.

However, the stakeholders stressed that an alternate road will instead increase the hounding traffic congestion in the area.

“The intersection is just 105 meters away from an already traffic-choked intersection. Surely, left turn from this intersection and left turn towards the same will be disallowed,” they said.

According to the stakeholders, traffic congestion in the area might negatively affect the surrounding businesses, including the IT park – one of the biggest tax generators of the local government.

The Cebu City Legal Office, which was asked for legal opinion on the road closure, has no comment yet.

 Leah Negre of the Department of Public Works and Highways-7 said yesterday that the street is a national road.

Negre said the street has been declared a national road through the Executive Order 113, which establishes classification of road in pursuance to Section 26, article 8 of Republic Act 917, known as the Philippine Highway Act of nineteen hundred and fifty-three.

She added that the former name of the street was Cadre Road.  (FREEMAN)