DPWH focuses on vehicles, structures blocking streets

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is intensifying its campaign to clear national roads of illegally parked vehicles and structures.

Lawyer Brando Ray Raya of the DPWH Legal Department on Tuesday said they are closely monitoring national roads.

Raya said parking of vehicles on national roads and structures encroaching on roads and sidewalks are considered an “obstruction of the road right-of-way.”

“Our focus is on the national roads. The DPWH is spending billions in constructing roads and road widening projects. Our concern here is to maximize the capacity of our roads. That is why we are doing this,” Raya said.

35 VIOLATORS

Since the DPWH operation started last Sept. 19, they have already caught 35 parking violators in Metro Cebu.

Since illegal parking is a traffic violation, Raya said, they already recorded these violations and submitted the complaints against these violators to the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

The DPWH is also clearing structures encroaching on portions of the roads and sidewalks. These are usually stores, car shops, vulcanizing shops and stalls of sidewalk vendors.

The DPWH usually sends out three notices to owners of these illegal structures, said DPWH information officer Marie Nillama.

DEMOLITION

Nillama said if they don’t act on these notices, DPWH will coordinate with the local government units to demolish these structures.

“The demolition of these structures belongs to the local government units that is why we are coordinating with them,” Raya said.

Raya added that since the operation started, owners of illegal structures along the road in barangay Tisa and barangay Labangon voluntarily took down their structures after receiving the notices from DPWH. /Reporter Joy Cherry Quito