Demolition of houses in high-risk areas set

Mayor Herbert Bautista has reminded Quezon City officials to be stricter about issuing building permits for projects near the Valley fault line as he also ordered them to immediately notify owners of houses or establishments built on the three-meter easement of the city’s waterways to vacate their property which are slated for demolition.

Aiming to make the city “disaster-free,” the mayor said that a top priority for Quezon City’s risk reduction and disaster preparedness is the implementation of the three-meter easement along creeks and rivers.  Also of concern is the Valley fault line which passes through several areas in the city.

Bautista instructed city engineer Joselito Cabungcal and city building official Isagani Versoza to immediately implement the three-meter easement policy on the city’s waterways and demolish private or public property that might encroach on these.

He likewise directed Cabungcal, Versoza and officials of the Quezon City Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Council, Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department and Barangay Operations Center to notify owners of establishments along the three-meter easement of creeks and rivers to immediately vacate these areas for their safety while assuring affected families of their relocation under the Urban Development and Housing Act.

At the same time, he reminded Cabungcal and Versoza to be stricter on issuing permits for constructions along or near the Valley fault line saying, “We cannot be lax in the evaluation of permits, nor liberal in the giving of exemptions for developments along or near the fault line.”

He pointed out that the safety of residents should be given priority. “We must make sure that structures are strictly in accordance with the construction and building standards that ensure safety against earthquake risks.”

The Valley fault line runs along the periphery of the city through the eastern boundary from the down slope area east of Violago Parkwoods, Barangay Payatas in the northeast to Barangays Bagong Silangan and Ugong Norte in the southeast.

Barangays Bagong Silangan and Payatas are among the areas in Quezon City identified by the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study as highly susceptible to earthquakes.