More than 80 owners of houses located at the Mambuloc Creek in Barangay 10, Bacolod City, have been served with notices to voluntarily remove illegal structures encroaching upon the waterway.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is struggling to continue desilting the creek because parts of these houses are obstructing the waterway.
Retired PCol. Levy Pangue, head of the City Legal Office Enforcement Team, said on Friday, March 20, that among the notices issued, was for the removal of a house right in the middle of the creek.
He clarified that only the house extensions on obstructing the waterway are being removed by the DPWH.
There is an immediate need to remove the structures that block the waterway, the DPWH said.
Pangue said that the DPWH heavy equipment cannot enter the area due to fences and house extensions.
The DPWH will also temporarily remove a footbridge in the area to allow equipment to pass.
The DPWH is continuing to clear Mambuloc Creek despite the increase in fuel prices, Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya said.*
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