Removing obstructions

Clear all roads and sidewalks of obstructions. That is the order of President Rodrigo Duterte, given during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday, to all the mayors of local government units in the country.

While the directive may be noble in objective by reminding the mayors to be more vigilant in causing the removal of any kind of obstruction from roads and sidewalks the order seems superfluous since most if not all local government units are already implementing national and local anti-obstruction laws.

But since this is an order straight from the President of the country then our mayors can do nothing except to comply else they might fact stiff administrative sanctions for not obeying the directive.

In fact the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) through one of its officials had announced that all concerned mayors will be given sixty (60) days to implement the order of the president and failing that allegedly risk suspension.

Actually the President’s directive for the removal of obstruction along roads and sidewalks has more to do with the fact that despite so many measures already being implemented to ease vehicular traffic in Metro Manila none seems to be successful at the moment, hence, the consternation and disappointment of the President.

Also, the order of Digong might also be a reaction to what Manila Mayor Isko Moreno has done in his jurisdiction when he began a massive clean-up drive to clear roads and sidewalks of obstruction.

For now the mayors will have to wait for the black and white of the order which according to DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III will be issued through a memorandum circular.

Densing also added that contained in the said memorandum will be request for all mayors to submit a road network in their respective cities. After which a road audit will be conducted to identify all public roads and sidewalks containing illegal structures and obstructions. The mayors will then be requested to come up with a plan on how to remove the illegal structures or obstruction from the sidewalks and roads.

Now while waiting for the memorandum circular to be issued by the DILG on the matter the LGUs can already implement some measures of their own to remove illegal structures or obstructions along roads and sidewalks in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

One step they can take is to request their local sanggunians to enact an ordinance strictly prohibiting any kind of obstruction or illegal structure that might cause traffic and providing for heavy penalties for its violation. The local ordinance should include those illegal structures that impede the flow of human traffic along sidewalks.

The executive branch of the local government unit could also start its own campaign to identify all kinds and types of obstruction or illegal structures along sidewalks or roads and when possible already cause their demolition even before the DILG memorandum is issued.

Admittedly for a long time now roads and most sidewalks have been taken advantage of by people needing a place sell their goods or products or expanding their businesses to accommodate their clients. Here in the City of Baguio we know of so many instances where small businesses are allowed to thrive and are tolerated to operate along sidewalks.

With the order of the President there is now a need to balance and weigh the consequences of allowing these businesses to continue operating along the sidewalks.

Sideglance

Amianan Balita Ngayon