THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Thursday ordered illegal establishments and other obstructions in a barangay in Tondo, Manila dismantled following complaints received through President Rodrigo Duterte’s Hotline 8888.
MMDA chairman Danilo Lim gave the outgoing and incoming village officials of Barangay 206, Zone 19 seven days to self-demolish structures including the Barangay Hall itself, which is encroaching on the sidewalk area along Dinalupihan Street in the city’s second district.
Lim earlier formed his men from the Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group and Task Force Special Operations and spearheaded the inspection in the area.
He said the agency acted on obstruction complaints coursed through 8888, the President’s Hotline dedicated to complaints against fixers, scalawag officials and poor government services.
Illegally parked vehicles, mostly private, were towed and obstructions like canopies and ambulant stores were cleared off the sidewalks.
“We received lots of obstruction complaints in this area about road obstructions and we have to act on it to widen the road and provide pedestrians a safe place to walk,” Lim said.
Ederlinda Mercado and Romeo Marcellano, outgoing and incoming barangay chairpersons, respectively, pledged cooperation to clear the sidewalks in their barangay.
Lim, for his part, said the MMDA would return after a week to ensure that demolition and clearing was done, as committed by the barangay officials.
He also urged all newly elected barangay officials to exercise their authority as front-liners and cooperate with the government to avoid encountering bigger traffic problems in the future.
Last month, the MMDA filed an administrative case against a Manila barangay chairman who reportedly failed to cooperate with the government’s campaign against illegally-parked vehicles and other road obstructions.
Charged with negligence or dereliction of duty before the Department of the Interior and Local Government was Ligaya V. Santos, chairman of Barangay-659 Zone- 71, District-V of Manila.
MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. filed the case with the Office of DILG undersecretary Martin Diño against Santos for her failure to maintain order in the area of Lawton near the Philippine Postal Office, which was cleared of illegal transport terminal and road obstructions during an operation by the agency late last year.
The filing of administrative case brings to eight the total of barangay chairmen charged by the agency, few months after President Rodrigo Duterte directed the MMDA to start filing charges against village officials who would be remiss in their duty.