Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is confident that the city will beat the 60-day deadline imposed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to clear public roads of any type of obstruction in a bid to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
According to Belmonte, they have cleared around 85 percent of primary roads in the city since the deadline was announced last July. However, the mayor admitted that the bigger task would be keeping the roads free of illegally parked vehicles and sidewalk vendors.
“I think we can beat the deadline. (Following the order of) DILG to clear the roads (we’re) 85 percent complete. The challenge now is not the clearing operations but sustainability,” the mayor said.
Belmonte added that aside from finding ways to clear major roads, the city government is also looking for ways to alleviate the plight of commuters, through the deployment of more buses on Commonwealth Avenue. She continued that they are also looking for alternative sites for vendors who have been displaced following a series of clearing operations.
The DILG issued Memorandum Circular 2019-121 last July 29, ordering all local government units to reclaim public roads that are being used for private purposes.
In 60 days, local executives are mandated to clear all streets from obstructions such as illegally parked vehicles, basketball courts, barangay halls, and illegal vendors.
Failure to comply with the order – first given by President Duterte at his last State of the Nation Address – could mean administrative charges or even preventive suspension. – With Romina Cabrera/STAR