Houses along A Soriano and Gen. Maxilom Ave. extension were built on the Carreta Creek and face demolition so the city government can proceed with cleaning up the area.(CDN/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
THE sight of the flooded basketball court near the Carreta Creek served as a reminder to
Tinago barangay chairperson Joel Garganera about the enormity of the task ahead in developing the city’s rivers.
“Their basketball court looked like a swimming pool. If the population and the shanties continue to increase there, it would be a very difficult problem. Right now we have to address the issue” he said.
Garganera heads the Reduction and Elimination of Danger Zones (REDZ) task force that is mandated to help facilitate the clearing of occupants of the three meter easement zones of rivers and creeks.
Garganera said the task force will verify the data gathered by the Division of Welfare for the Urban Poor (DWUP), Cebu City Planning Board (CCPB) and Cebu City Engineering on the width of the waterways and number of settlers.
He said the width of the waterway, right after MJ Cuenco measured 400 meters going to the back of Queensland Motel.
Garganera said last year’s DWUP data placed the number of structures in the area at 120.
But he said their inspection yesterday showed it went up to 174 structures with more than 170 occupants.
“What we know is that a number of them went home after being given assistance under the Balik Probinsya (back to the province) program. Then they also have relocated to Barangay Budlaan. But they returned and this time, the numbers went up,” he said.
“We will collate their data next week, then by that time we have already the initial data. But I gave them by the end of the month, June 30,” Garganera said.
He said the Cebu City Legal Office will then give notices to the residents who live above the creek.
“We met with the barangay officials in Carreta and once we have all the data we will dialogue with the settlers,” Garganera told Cebu Daily News.