City Legal Office says Inayawan police station construction should proceed

Barangay Inayawan workers start clearing the lot where the police station is supposed to be built. | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The planned police station to be constructed at a disputed lot in Barangay Inayawan should push through as soon as possible.

This was the recommendation of the Cebu City Legal Office to Mayor Edgardo Labella after their investigation regarding the objections of the Inayawan officials to the construction of the police station in the donated lot.

Lawyer Rey Gealon, city legal officer, said that  they found no reason to delay the construction of the police station in the 566 square meter lot across the barangay hall.

Gealon said that the lot was properly donated by the previous barangay chief.

He said that the City Legal Office found no issues on the deed of donation as the barangay had been able to release a resolution in 2017 that the donation was properly conducted.

Since there was no issue on the donation of the lot and a P5 million budget had already been allocated by the Philippine National Police (PNP), then he said the barangay should release the clearance for the project.

Read more: Sinas to bring Inayawan police station issue to President Duterte

However, he said if the current barangay administration would still not release the barangay clearance to the contractor after seven days then the city government could issue them instead.

He cited the Local Government Code that stated that a project must obtain a barangay clearance first before getting other city or municipality clearances, but it also stated that if the barangay would fail to release these permits, then the city could issue them instead.

“Acting upon the directive of the Mayor, the City Legal Office recommended to the concerned departments of city hall to issue the necessary permits for the PNP to proceed with the construction of their police station in Barangay Inayawan,” said Gealon.

He cited the importance of having a decent and respectable police station — emphasizing police visibility as indispensable in the area.

“The Mayor is clear and categorical — that the construction must proceed with dispatch,” Gealon added.

But Inayawan Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo said he would be seeking an audience with Mayor Labella to explain the problems of the residents of the barangay such as traffic and concerns of the establishments, who would be affected if the police station would be constructed of lot.

Read more: Lot donation issue: Inayawan brgy chief says planned police station project on lot a traffic hazard

In previous statements, Repollo said that the barangay was offering a similarly sized lot about 30 meters away from the donated lot, which was beside the St. Augustine Chapel where the old playground used to stand.

He said this alternative lot would be better because it would not affect the traffic in the area and the business establishments there.

“When I read the news that Mayor Labella also expressed that they will proceed with the police station, I sent him a letter asking him to have an appointment, in his preferred date and time, to talk regarding same matter. However, I have yet to receive any reply or call (from his office),” he said in a text message to CDN Digital.

Repollo said he had even sent the letter asking for a meeting with Labella even before he assumed as the elected mayor of Cebu City.

He said that he was hoping that before the mayor would make a move on the matter, they could first sit and talk things over./dbs