Ad hoc committee formed to study encroaching structures in Cebu City waterways

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has ordered the formation of an ad hoc committee that would study how to remove the obstructions along waterways here.

The mayor released Executive Order No. 101, which details the function of the committee for the clearing of obstruction in all major rivers, creeks, and canals in the city.

The committee will be headed by City Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez, and will be composed of the City Legal Officer Rey Gealon, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), the Department of Public Work and Highways (DPWH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and other agencies.

The ad hoc committe will inspect, assess, and evaluate existing structures along the waterways in the city on whether they violated the three-meter easement policy or encroach on the actual waterway.

They will determine an “engineering solution” for these obstruction and will coordinate with the structure owners for the removal of such obstructions.

The committee is also tasked to submit reports, recommendations, and propose guidelines for the removal of the waterway obstruction to the mayor.

Labella hopes that the committee can immediately begin formulating recommendations for the removal of the structures, as this is the biggest challenge of claiming back the waterways.

“Many of these structures have been there 30 years, 20 years. We need a plan to remove them,” said the mayor.

The formation of the ad hoc committee comes after flooding killed three individuals in the city on October 13, 2020.

Read: Two dead, minor still missing due to flooding in Cebu City

Read: Body of 14-year-old flash flood victim found among garbage in river

Read: In photos: Floods hit parts of Metro Cebu after heavy downpour

The mayor said the city needs an engineering approach to the flood problems so that similar incidents will not happen again.

/bmjo