THE Davao City Public Safety and Security Office’s (PSSO) Coastal Road and Davao River Monitoring Team warned anew Dabawenyos against building illegal structures atop dikes and along the coastal road.
The fresh warning came in the wake of the PSSO’s report that it dismantled 334 structures from October 2020 until the third week of January 2023.
“Since we started, 334 illegal structures [have been demolished] and these are house extensions, an extension of the kitchen, and other are cages and extension of sala,” PSSO Head Angel Sumagaysay said in an interview with the City Information Office (CIO) on Tuesday.
He said that these structures are usually found atop or attached to dikes and gabions located in areas near the Davao River. Recent dismantling operations were done in Talomo District involving a hut at Purok 8 Iñigo, Matina Pangi, and a reconstructed fisherman’s kiosk at the Punta Dumalag section of the Coastal Area.
“We have coordinated with the barangays, if they relay to us that there are illegal structures in their area we visit and speak with the owners,” he added.
Sumagaysay said, adding that with their dismantling efforts, along with other government agencies, the areas near the Davao River have significantly improved.
Sumagaysay also said that their office does not have a target number of structures to dismantle but once they found these during their monitoring and inspection, they coordinated with the barangay and the purok leader concerned. Owners are given the option to self-demolish or the PSSO will demolish their structures.
He reminded the public that illegal structures atop dikes and gabions pose dangers to the integrity of the structure because aside from the weight of the structure, nails are often used to make attachments, making holes and damaging the structure. Damaged dikes can result in more flooding and added problems caused by flooding.
“We would like to remind Dabawenyos who are living beside the river, please do not construct any structure atop the dikes or add structures such as an extension of your house or animal cages because due care should be given to our dikes, as it prevents floodwater from overflowing it needs to be stable,” Sumagaysay said.
He said he hopes that the public will understand the purpose of the dismantling efforts. CIO
