DILG to Cebu governor: Channel your energy into road-clearing

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday admonished Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to “channel her energy” into helping seven local government units (LGUs) in the province to comply with the road-clearing drive instead of hurling tirades against the department on the nationwide campaign.

“The DILG chief advises Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to channel her energy into helping the seven Cebu LGUs to better comply with the Presidential directive rather than going on a tirade of complaints against the department’s road clearing efforts and other programs,” a press statement from the agency read.

Six towns and one city in Cebu province got a failed rating based on the initial assessment of the DILG on road-clearing efforts of LGUs. These are Carcar, Badian, Carmen, Compostela, Ginatilan, Moalboal and Pinamungahan.

READ: Gwen tells DILG: Your seminars disrupt LGU operations

As the said LGUs got the failed grade, Garcia has expressed disappointment with the rating system of the DILG and even said the agency should have made rounds in the towns to see the efforts of the mayors. She said that in this way, the mayors would have known where they should concentrate their efforts.

READ: Cebu governor says DILG should have helped towns to clear roads instead of merely assessing

But according to Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, the DILG has field officers to help keep LGUs on the right track on the road-clearing program.

“The DILG is your coach and as your coach, we want to prepare and guide you through the whole ball game, from day one up to the last.  We want to see you succeed in governance and that is precisely the reason why we have field officers to make sure that you are on the right track,” he said.

“Kakampi ninyo ang DILG (The DILG is on your side). We are not here to make things difficult for LGUs but to make sure that LGUs are doing their jobs effectively and efficiently. Besides, the directive to reclaim public roads came from the President himself during his 4th SONA,” he added.

Meanwhile, Año commended the local government in Taguig City which, despite its low compliance rating on road-clearing, has committed to a “mobility plan” to provide residents and visitors faster and safer travels beyond the 60-day deadline imposed by the DILG.

Año described the said plan as a holistic approach to ensure mobility and is an extra effort to the actual clearing of obstructions on major and secondary roads. He said it also includes road and sidewalk beautification and infrastructure projects.

“That is the kind of attitude that we want. This should be a challenge for LGUs to take the President’s State of the Nation Address directive seriously because at the end of the day, we will all benefit from the law and order brought about by cleared roads,” he said. /je