City, DPWH to pursue demolition of Marcos highway illegal structures

April 17, 2021 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY April 13 – The city and the public works department will continue to aggressively enforce the demolition of all illegal structures t erected along the road-right-of-way of Marcos highway to clear the road line of obstructions.
City Building Official Arch. Johnny Degay stated that personnel of the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) and the Department of Public works and Highways–City finalizing sites for two health centers Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWHBCDEO) will holding a series of pre-demolition conferences in the coming weeks as part of the requisite in the implementation of demolition orders issued against the owners of the illegal structures, especially those located on the right side of the road line going up to the city proper.
He pointed out that these structures are being demolished for being erected on the road right-of-way of Marcos highway and have no building and occupancy permits, thus, are already considered illegal and that the structures, especially those with portions that have been chipped off, are already structurally unsafe.
The city building official added that the city government will request the public works department to put up a parapet wall along the areas where the demolished illegal structures were located to ensure the safety of the public passing through the said area while awaiting for the implementation of infrastructure projects that will guarantee the safety of people.
Earlier, the city and the public works department had been issuing the required notices of demolition against owners of the identified illegal structures erected on the road right- of-way of Marcos
highway as part of the road clearing and anti-road obstruction campaign of both the national and local governments to widen the constricted roads in the city.
Aside from Marcos highway, the city and the public works department had also been implementing the dismantling of the illegal structures along various national roads around the city to send a clear message to the people that the national and local governments mean business in the enforcement of existing laws, rules and regulations governing the road-right-of-way of roads in the different parts of the city.
Degay claimed one of the objectives of the conduct of the upcoming pre-demolition conferences is to ensure that the position of the city and the public works department is air tight to prevent property owners from being able to secure retraining orders from the courts that will significantly affect the implementation of the demolition orders against the illegal structures.
He explained that structures that have chipped-off portions in the initial wave of the implementation of the demolition orders already have structural defects, thus, already structural unsafe and that the remedy for the building owners is for the eventual demolition of the structures.
However, the city government department head stipulated that the implementation of the already issued demolition orders will be unannounced to prevent the building owners from resorting to remedies that might cause delays in the implementation of the dismantling of the structurally unsafe buildings along Marcos highway for the benefit of the safety of the public.
Dexter A. See/ABN