CEBU CITY (PNA) - The Cebu City government has ordered informal settlers along the city's rivers, creeks and under bridges to go back to their town so that the city can address the drainage problem.
Their illegal structures are among the main causes of flooding in the city because these block heavy equipment from cleaning, dredging and desilting the waterways, he said.
Mayor Michael Rama issued the order last week. The order asks informal settlers to vacate areas they are occupying.
The improvement of the city's drainage system is one of the mayor's priorities in his first 100 days of office.
Cebu City Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, chairman of the council committee on infrastructure, said informal settlers, especially those under the Basak Pardo-Kinasang-an Bridge and downstream of the Cogon-Basak Pardo boundary, are the targets of their crackdown.
''They should go back to where they came from. We can't give them any cash or fare. But we can provide them with a vehicle to take them home. They can take down their dwellings and take these with them and the vehicle will take them wherever they're going,'' he said.
At least 20 shanties will be affected by the mayor's order.
''Once they're gone, we can start the digging and the dredging so water from the mountains will go straight to the ocean. There will be no more backflow. If we don't clean our rivers, this increases the risk of flooding,'' he said.
Cabarrubias expressed hopes that informal settlers would understand the move, saying that dismantling of their settlements is not an anti-poor move.
It is for the greater good of the residents, he said.
''We do feel sorry for them, but we can't always be sorry, otherwise we can't implement the law. If we can't implement the law, there's no order. So how do we solve the city's drainage problems? Most of the flooding incidents are caused by their illegal structures,'' he added.
Rama has given affected informal settlers 10 days to vacate their areas.
