Rudy P. Garcia Illegal structures

BULL’S HIT

BAGUIO CITY -- Acting on the information that some illegal structures are being constructed along Rimando Road in this city, we took some spare time with my bubuwit to visit the area with the permission of some barangay officials of ABCR barangay where these structures are under their durisdiction.

We took pictures on these structures wondering why they were allowed to be constructed despite the fact that they were on the road right of way. Aside from this, these posed danger to occupants near the creek.

At the ABCR barangay office, we asked these questions to the officials who were present including their punong barangay Rodolfo P. Benitez. They presented to us some documents to show they did something to put a stop on these illegal structures.

To clear matters better, I went personally at the office of the city buildings and architecture office at DPSI compound. They also claimed that the matter of concern was not under their Jurisdiction since they already did appropriate actions to stop the structures.

The CBAO officials claimed they already sent three notices to owners of these structures without building permits but these were ignored, hence, the matter was transmitted to the city legal office.

Sources have it that at present, these three illegal structures have different status. The structure nearest to the barangay hall has a pending “injunction” case at a trial court in Baguio and is now on archive.

I hope the ABCR barangay official who is the complainant has the will to follow up the case. The reason perhaps that this case was archived was because of their laxity or lack for it to follow this up.

It is the same with the case which is now pending at the city legal office. If the claim of the ABCR barangay captain which he revealed to us, that a top official of Baguio talked and told him to be slow on these illegal structures is true, then I wonder no more why these structures despite clear violation of the law still stand and their owners having no fear of being ordered to stop construction by authorities.

Believe it or not but often times squatting problems are caused by delay or non- enforcement of executive orders because of judicial court intervention or if not those pulpuliticos who are protecting these professional squatters.

I wonder when the executive and judicial departments would come to agreement not to cross each other’s borders when it comes to squatting problems. Could this be easily said than done because of politics?