The PROBE team conducts clearing operations in Barangay Sambag I. | Photo Courtesy of Cebu City PIO (file photo)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team will continue with their road clearing even after the deadline of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on January 15, 2021.
PROBE head, Racquel Arce, said they were monitoring the barangays for compliance to the road clearing especially that they were required to clear out the necessary roads.
The barangays have to submit a report to the DILG to finish the road clearing mandated by the national agency. The village chiefs may face administrative charges for not submitting the report.
Read: Second batch of clearing operations in Cebu City going smoothly — PROBE
Even so, Arce said that the deadline would not stop the PROBE from continuing to road clearing because the program was not meant to stop after the DILG’s given date but must be continued for consistency.
“Kami sa PROBE, padayon gyod ang atong road clearing. So far, ang clearing nato mas compliant na ang mga vendors and residents nga nilapas sa sidewalks,” said Arce.
(We at PROBE will continue on our road clearing operations. So far, in our clearing operations, we observed that the vendors were more compliant and the residents also with regard to structures encroaching the sidewalks.)
The barangays have to coordinate with the PROBE if they need help for the clearing, but they must inform the affected residents first or at least five days before the clearing.
The PROBE would also inform the residents five days before the clearing to ensure that the residents understand the necessity of the clearing operation.
“If wala nainform ang residents, dili gyod mi moclear kay masangit ato,” said Arce.
(If the residents are not informed, then we will not proceed with the clearing operation because we will get into trouble.)
Read: Sto. Niño vendors slam PROBE’s ’10 commandments’
As of now, the PROBE is also monitoring the hotspot areas such as Colon Street, Osmeña Boulevard, John Paul II Avenue, and South Bus Terminal area.
Arce said the vendors would occasionally return especially during the recent Christmas season.
Still, the PROBE recorded more compliance this time around compared to the first clearing operations in 2019.
She said that PROBE was hoping that the compliance would continue as the road clearing operations would continue as well in the coming months. /dbs