THREE commercial establishments along Estero de Parian in Cebu City may face closure for failing to comply with the established easement zone of river banks and shorelines.
Task Force Gubat sa Baha Chief Implementer Melquiades Feliciano said in an interview with “Beyond the Headlines,” SunStar Cebu’s online and news commentary program on Friday, June 14, 2024, that these establishments have been advised and warned to voluntarily clear a whole or a portion of their structure that has violated the three-meter easement zone along the Estero de Parian.
He said these establishments failed to coordinate with the task force.
“Ang tulo niini, ang Hope Realty, D’Lucky Motor Parts, and 138 Multiple Rental Space… kaning tulo, ang Task Force Gubat sa Baha will issue closure order sa ilahang operation (The three, Hope Realty, D’Lucky Motor Parts, and 138 Multiple Rental Space… this three, the Task Force Gubat sa Baha will issue closure order in their operation),” Feliciano said.
He said that 19 out of the 53 structures, composed of mixed commercial and residential properties along the Estero de Parian, have been successfully cleared.
Of the 19 structures, Feliciano said 12 establishments have voluntarily cleared out their structures, while seven have been assisted by the City Government.
There are currently five establishments that have an ongoing clearing operation, he added.
“Ang 25 ana kay nag-communicate na, nag-collaborate na (The 25 have already communicated and collaborated) and they are willing to clear their respective three-meter easement zones,” Feliciano said.
He said that Estero de Parian stretches approximately 1.3 kilometers in Barangays Parian, San Roque, Tejero and Tinago.
“Kaning clearing of easement kay dako ni og tabang because ma-restore ang riverbanks, ma-improve ang riverbanks and at the same time… it will prevent the throwing of waste, including human waste ug ang importante ang water waste (The clearing of easement is a big help because it will restore the riverbanks, improve the riverbanks and at the same time…it will prevent the throwing of waste, including human waste, and most importantly, water waste),” Feliciano said.
On the residential structures mostly composed of Informal Settler Families (ISFs), Feliciano said the City Government has expedited the process of relocating 104 ISFs along the Estero de Parian.
He added that the City Government has already relocated 13 ISFs to a permanent relocation site in Barangay Quiot Pardo.
Feliciano said that of the 91 remaining ISFs, only one refused to be relocated to a temporary housing facility facilitated by the city government.
Meanwhile, Feliciano said the task force, in coordination with other departments, has intensified flood mitigation, including desilting and declogging measures.
Declogging is the process of removing the accumulated dirt and solid waste inside the drainage pipes and culverts along the roads, Feliciano said.
This will help to minimize flooding on the streets, as it allows the smooth flow of run-off water towards exit or down to the rivers, tributaries, and seas during heavy rain instead of overflowing into the road, streets, establishments, and residential areas, he added.
Feliciano said Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia gave the go-signal to procure a declogging machine that will expedite flood interventions by the City Government.
“Kung i-manual (declogging) man gud sa tawo, wala gyud sila’y agi. Kinahanglan gyud ang machine. Maong ako gipa-stop (ang manual declogging) kay sayang ang oras sa tawo (If it is done manually by a person, it is not effective. The machine is necessary. That’s why I told them to stop because it’s a waste of people’s time),” Feliciano said.
Desilting posed more challenges due to the reliance on heavy equipment and manpower, especially removing silt, dirt, and soil stuck in the river beds, he added.
Feliciano also said the task force needs ramps, especially at the junction between the river and roads, to allow the deployment and passage of heavy equipment and trucks down the river to desilt and dredge waterways and dispose of them.
As part of their long-term solution, he added that there was a plan to install water trunks in the downtown, gabion dams, and a catch basin in the upland, once funding has been secured.
“There should be infra (infrastructure) programs to really address… because if there is a waterways nga magamit sa atung mga areas nga flood-prone nga frequently flooded, then it will really address the flooding (There should be infrastructure programs to really address… because if there are waterways in the flood-prone and frequently flooded areas, then it will really address the flooding),” Feliciano said. / EHP
