By Dominic B. dela Cruz
Staff Reporter
Laoag City—In line with President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s directive in his 2019 State of the Nation Address, the city government of Laoag continued the clearing roads of illegal structures and constructions.
City interior and local government officer Janet Duarte said the national government has ordered strict implementation of Duterte’s directive.
Ms. Duarte added that the directive mandates all local officials to enjoin and exercise their powers essential to reclaim public roads which are being used for private ends in the process, rid them of illegal structures and constructions.
Local government officials are also encouraged to develop and implement strategies that will address the displacement issues caused by the implementation of the directive.
Local chief executives were also directed to revoke permits that gave authority to private entities to occupy public roads, alleys and other thoroughfares.
In line with this, the Department of Interior and Local Government issued an advisory on January 8, 2020 to all regional directors and field officers directing and informing all barangay chairpersons and Sangguniang Barangay members to perform their roles in revisiting approved ordinances and make them consistent with existing city/municipal ordinances and other related laws and policies pertaining to road clearing operations within their respective jurisdiction.
The barangay councils will collaborate with the city or municipal mayor concerned for harmonization of the efforts in the clearing of roads of illegal structures and obstructions
Barangay security officers shall likewise conduct monitoring to ensure that public roads are rid of illegal structures and constructions.
There is also the need to ensure, maintain and sustain cleanliness of all cleared roads within their respective jurisdiction.
In addition, the DILG again issued an advisory on January 10, 2020 on additional roles of barangays chairpersons and Sangguniang Barangay members pertaining to barangay road clearing operations.
Barangay chairpersons were directed to submit monthly consolidate monitoring reports on the road clearing operations to the DILG regional office.
Relative to this, the Sangguniang Panlungsod committees on Peace and Order; Laws, Rules and Regulations; and the Market and Slaughterhouse sponsored a resolution urging the office of the city treasurer, the Laoag police, and all other concerned agencies prohibiting vendors to use sidewalks to sell any type of merchandise.
Laoag councilor and chairperson of the committee on peace and order Jaybee Baquiran said the construction of sidewalks on streets are intended for safety of pedestrians.
Mr. Baquiran added that the measure was also in support of Duterte’s directive on road-clearing.
Community Affairs Division (CAD) chief William Albino Antonio Agcaoili, for his part, said his office has already started information dissemination to all the barangays with respect to barangay road clearing.
Though, he admitted that the city government focused the road-clearing first in the city’s población area, he added that they immediately followed up with road-clearing in other barangays with the help of barangay officials.