‘Missing’ city street may soon resurface

CEBU, Philippines - Efforts seeking to revive a “missing” F. Rallos Street in Barangay Suba, Cebu City are now underway.

Named after the first mayor of Cebu when it was still a town, the road used to serve residents but had slowly vanished after several years allegedly because several unscrupulous persons constructed houses and other structures into the road lot.

Acting Cebu City Engineer Jose Marie Poblete has strongly recommended to Mayor Michael Rama the demolition and removal of at least 27 residential houses and structures illegally constructed along the road lot near the old Pasil Fish Market.

At first, one Rosalina Padillo filed a letter-complaint to the Barangay Council of Suba that prompted its barangay officials headed by Barangay Captain Joel Sable to pass a resolution urging the mayor to restore F. Rallos Street by removing the existing structures from the road lot.

Said road was named F. Rallos Street several years ago in honor of Don Florentino Rallos, the first elected municipal president whose power is equivalent to a mayor and Rallos held the position until 1907, or five years before he died.

F. Rallos Street is the road adjacent to Tupaz Street and connects A. Borres Street (formerly Garfield St.) to Belgium Street (formerly T. Bugallon St.), situated beside the old Pasil Fish Market.

 The road is supposedly situated in the middle of the two cadastral home Lots No. 7840 and 7848, meaning the boundaries of the two lots are situated beside the F. Rallos Street, which has 15 linear meters in width.

 After the Department of Engineering and Public Works received the copy of the resolution from the officials of Barangay Suba, Engineers Bernabe Pateño and David Martinez conducted an investigation about the illegal constructions of houses on said road lot.

 It was found out that some of the 27 illegal occupants of the road lot had already applied for the titling of their occupied lots, however, most of the applications had been rejected by the concerned government offices.

 Investigation conducted showed that the owners of the structures, including some residential houses that are constructed on F. Rallos Street are Rogelio Mabuaya, Corazon Petallar, Gilbert Moises Sr., Rogelio Enriquez, Eulogio Borres Sr., Walter Castro, Fausta Borres, Florentino Abala, Marina Mosquida, Julie Letegio, Josephine Rosal, Valentino Castro, Felip Du, Antonio Daclan, Serapio Palacio, Marcelino Plarisan, Roberto Lausa, Ricardo and Isabel Abaño.

Some of them reportedly own more than one structure and the road is said to house a chapel and a vacant space for garage.

City Legal Officer Jerone Castillo has endorsed the matter to the City Council for further action, probably for the mayor to file an ejectment case against the concerned families before the court.  (FREEMAN)