By Dhel Nazario
The City of Makati has been declared fully-compliant with President Duterte’s order to implement road-clearing operations in primary and secondary roads, the Department of the Interior and Local Government-National Capital Region (DILG-NCR) said.
Makati Mayor Abby Binay (My Makati / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a report and submitted to DILG Regional Director Maria Lourdes Agustin by Lea Evangelista, local government operations officer, it shows that a total of 52,113 meters of roads and sidewalks were cleared in Makati as of September 4.
Makati Mayor Abigail Binay said she was pleased with the positive DILG report, which gave credit to the efforts of the city government to promote safe and walkable streets in the city.
She said the main objective of the campaign was to promote safety and mobility in the city for the benefit of residents as well as for all who work, do business, and/or spend their leisure time in the city.
She also acknowledged the contributions of various city government offices to the success of the intensified campaign against obstructions on roads and sidewalks throughout the city.
“It was not an easy task, but with the concerted efforts of our departments and offices and our strong collaboration with concerned national agencies, we were able to clear all kinds of obstructions, including sidewalk vendors and illegally parked vehicles, to make our streets safe and walkable at all times,” Mayor Abby said.
A total length of 26,621 meters of roads and 25,492 meters of sidewalk were cleared by the city's Public Safety Department (PSD), Department of Environmental Services (DES), Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), Economic Enterprise Management Office (EEMO), Makati Action Center (MAC) and Makati Veterinary Services Office through joint and separate clearing operations, in coordination with the Makati Police Department.
The team also removed 1,031 illegally parked vehicles, 111 illegal vendors, and 13 other obstructions. The city government also actively participated in operations led by the Highway Patrol Group Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (HPG I-ACT).
The mayor also said the EEMO, PSD and DILG-Makati have been holding meetings with sidewalk vendors and tricycle operators and drivers associations (TODA) in the city to dissuade them from going back to the streets or setting up illegal terminals after the roads had been cleared.
She also urged barangay officials to do their part in ensuring that the roads and sidewalks are free from any obstruction, pointing out that the DILG-Makati is closely monitoring the compliance of barangay captains with the directive.
Other local government units with 100 percent compliance are the cities of Las Piñas, Marikina, Valenzuela, and Navotas, and the municipality of Pateros.