30 private lots to be affected by Mahiga project

CEBU, Philippines - Around thirty private properties will be affected by a widening project on the Mahiga River covering the stretch from M.J. Cuenco Avenue to Juan Luna Avenue.

This was the result of a survey conducted by the Investigation and Survey Section of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW). The findings were submitted to lawyer Joey Daluz, the project’s chairman.

Daluz said they will start negotiating with the lot owners this week. The city has a P30 million budget for acquiring the lots. The budget was supposed to be P50 million but the amount was reduced to P30 million because the city needs to spend for the reconstruction of the Cebu City Medical Center.

Daluz hopes negotiations with the lot owners will be smooth but properties that have violated the three-meter  easement  zone should be given freely to the government.

“Supposedly kay under the law, easement mana. We do not have to pay kay non-biddable mana. Ang problema lang kay asa ang easement asa ang river daghan pa kaayo ang lalis,” he said.

Article 51 of Presidential Decree No. 1067 or The Water Code of the Philippines states, “The banks or rivers and streams and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within a zone of three (3) meters in urban areas, twenty (20) meters in agricultural areas and forty (40) meters in forest areas, along their margins, are subject to the easement of public use in the interest of recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing and salvage.”

The law states further, “No person shall be allowed to stay in this zone longer than what is necessary for recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing or salvage or to build structures of any kind.”

David Martinez, Right of Way Agent of Investigation  and Survey Section of DEPW said they are still continuing the gathering of data for the possible lots which will be affected for the embankment of  the river from Juan Luna Avenue to North Reclamation Area.

The city plans to widen the river to 10 meters which according to Daluz is now around two or three meters wide.

“We will now draft the POWE (Program of Work and Estimate ) kun pila gyud gasto nato para pag-widen. At least nagsugod nata. By the end of 2016 I hope mahuman na ning Mahiga”, he added.

Aside from widening the river to 10 meters they will also make a five or three meters road in both sides of the river.

Meanwhile, Rikda Construction won the bidding for the 6 million embankment of the river at the North Reclamation Area. It covers the installation of lamp posts and the 150-meter sidewalk. – (FREEMAN)