Efforts of the city government to revitalize the city’s environment is gaining headway following the issuance of notices of violation to some 683 structures found to have encroached on the prescribed easement of waterways.
Engr. Stephen Capuyan, Engineer IV of the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO), reported that of the aforesaid number of illegal structures that encroached on the 3-meter easement of waterways, 613 houses and buildings were found along the stretch of the Sagudin-Balili River while 70 structures were located along the Bued River.
He added the number of illegal structures that encroached on the 3-meter easement of waterways will definitely increase in the coming weeks as inspections is still ongoing by assigned personnel in the different waterways of the city.
The city’s aggressive campaign against the proliferation of illegal structures along waterways is anchored on revitalizing the city’s environment, one of the present administration’s 15-point collective agenda crafted by both the executive and legislative departments last year.
Capuyan stated that the pandemic has affected the city’s campaign against encroachments on the prescribed 3-meter easement of waterways thus the less number of issued notices of violation for making encroachments.
Under the notice of violation, owners of illegal structures are given at least 7 days to voluntarily demolish their improvements on the easement of waterways and failure to do so will compel the city’s demolition team to schedule the removal of the same by virtue of a demolition order to be issued for the said purpose.
However, the demolition of the encroachments on waterways will only be done after the exhaustion of the 3-notice rule with a maximum period of 21 days prior to the dismantling of such improvements.
Capuyan claimed the issuance of the notices of violation to owners of illegal structures that encroachments on waterways is a warning to other residents who are in the same situation to voluntarily remove their improvements and not to await for the city demolition team to dismantle such improvements.
Aside from encroachments on the easement of waterways, the CBAO is also closely monitoring illegal structures to ensure their compliance to the pertinent provisions of Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1096 or the National Building Code, particularly on the existence of their building and occupancy permits.
He claimed that the CBAO initiated the filing of 8 cases against erring building owners that violated the building code where 3 convictions were secured from the local courts while the rest of the cases are still pending trial. By DEXTER A. SEE