Gerardo Carillo, chairman of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC), told SunStar Cebu that these identified structures are located in the downstream part of the city’s seven major rivers.
Carillo said the number will increase in the coming days once the task force reaches the upstream portion of the waterways.
The number of structures tagged is all categorized as residential buildings and does not include commercial establishments, he added.
In Barangay Inayawan alone, Carillo said they have identified seven titled properties that have encroached on the three-meter easement of the Bulacao River.
He said the owners are cooperative with the plan of the City Government to reclaim river easements and build flood control projects.
He assured that the Department of Public Works and Highways will process the just compensation for private lot owners.
Carillo mentioned that they will not immediately demolish the identified structures since there is a need first to conduct a “pulong-pulong” or information drive to the affected individuals.
Those who will be displaced will be given an option to choose whether to receive the P20,000 to P35,000 financial assistance or to be relocated in one of the City’s socialized housing programs.
Since the start of the Cebu City Government’s campaign against flooding last Aug. 8, around 800 illegal structures that were built along the city’s major waterways have been demolished.