Legazpi’s road clearing rating reaches 96.34%

By Cet Dematera

Legazpi City did not only maintain its 95 percent rating it reaped in 2020, but instead inched further to 96.34 percent this first quarter in road clearing efforts ordered earlier by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Legazpi Mayor Noel Rosal said that the road clearing activities are being spearheaded by the city’s Task Force Kalinigan, Kaayusan, Kalikasan and Negosyo (TFKKKN) in close coordination with barangays officials and personnel.

Rosal said that based from the data released by the DILG Bicol regional office, Legazpi City scored a 96.34 percent rating, higher by 1.3 percent compared to 95 percent rating released in October 2020.

He said the team that evaluated Legazpi City’s road clearing activities came from the Tabaco City DILG field office that included evaluators from Philippine National Police (PNP); Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and a representative from the Legazpi City Public Safety Office (PSO).

“The first rating that was awarded to Legazpi City TFKKKN by the Tabaco City evaluating team was 95.54 percent. But we appealed the result to the DILG Provincial Office. And we are very thankful to the DILG for painstakingly reviewing the evaluation indicators so that our rating was increased to 96.34 percent”, Rosal said.

Clearing major thoroughfares with all forms of obstructions is a program being pushed by the national government to ensure that roads and bridges remain safe, accessible, and free from illegal and potentially hazardous encroachments.

DILG has issued Memorandum Circular Number 2020-145 on Oct. 27, 2020 for all the provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, punong barangays, head of local sanggunians (councils), DILG regional directors, and other concern agencies to continuously implement road clearing efforts.

The road clearing program was started last year but was suspended for almost eight months due to the various implementation of quarantine protocols brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andy Marbella, TFKKKN chief, said that the concerted effort of the City Engineering Office as well as the members of the TFKKKN and other government agencies especially the barangay officials, has pushed the city’s rating a higher.

“We are very glad to announce to the public that this city has sustained the high rating in the implementation of road clearing operations,” he added.

Marbella was also impressed by support coming from all the barangay officials who had helped much in identifying the road obstructions in their respective jurisdictions.

He also asked the villagers to report to the TFKKKN any illegal terminals including vulcanizing shop and other illegal structures obstructing public roads.

Marbella said that the TFKKKN will continue to monitor all the 70 villages in this city as part of sustaining the implementation of the road clearing operation.

Exempted from the road clearing are those ambulances and public emergency vehicles including the check points established and duly authorized by the LGUs, and the temporary obstruction caused by the establishment of bicycle lanes.