Radaza: Illegal structures in Lapu’s easement zone to go after May 14 polls

The Lapu-Lapu City government will soon start the clearing operations of the remaining illegal structures within the shoreline and those encroaching in the city’s three meter easement zone.

Mayor Paz Radaza said that maybe after the May 14 election, the clearing of the remaining illegal structures would start all the way from Barangay Poblacion down to Barangays Pajo, Pusok, Ibo, Buaya and Mactan.

Commercial, boarding houses and piggeries within the shorelines and those encroaching the three-meter easement zone would be the first to be demolished, said Radaza, who turned down requests from affected settlers for more time to look for places to transfer.

She said that there would be no more extension on the start of the clearing of illegal structures especially in Barangay Poblacion and those boarding houses and piggeries along the shoreline of Mactan Channel.

Radaza was referring to requests from Sitio Spirla, Barangay Poblacion settlers to give them more time to move from the area because their children were still attending school.

“I don’t think makahatag pa ta og another extension kay hapit na sab ang tingklase. Basin moingon na pud sila nga naka enroll na ang mga bata ug patiwason na pud sa pagpa-eskwela (I don’t think we can give them another extension to stay in the area especially since the school opening is drawing near and they might use their children being enrolled at the nearby school as a reason to stay longer in the area),” said Radaza.

She said that an extension for them to continue staying in the Sitio Spirla was granted last year so that they could look for another area to transfer to.

This despite several notifications including the pre-demolition conference with the presence of the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP).

She said that the illegal structures at Spirla were supposed to be removed immediately because of the danger it would bring to the settlers there — not just the big waves caused by passing boats and fastcrafts, but also the possible effects of calamities.

Radaza also said that with regard to the environment, the settlers had contributed also to the pollution of the sea, considering that their domestic, human, and animal waste would go directly to the sea.

“These are violation to the laws of environment. It’s about time to clean and preserve the natural habitat of marine resources,” she said.

Radaza said the city government was communicating with the affected settler through their Urban Poor Associations

She also made it clear that the city had no relocation site for them and would not relocate them.

She, however, said that the city government would give financial assistance to house owners and that’s on top of the assistance that the City Social Welfare Department would provide.

She also said that the City Engineering department would also help in transporting the settlers housing materials and their belongings to the area where they would transfer to.