Demolition man to Bambi: Just clean up

By JIGGER J. JERUSALEM
Correspondent

JUST do the right thing, clean up.

This was the gist of the response of the spokesman of a city hall-led road-clearing operations team to Misamis Oriental Gov. YevgenyVincenteEmano who went into a tirade about the failures of the city government after being asked to rid the capitol roads of obstructions.

“We are not contesting the ownership of the property or structures inside the capitol compound. But the [Department of the Interior and Local Government] directive is very clear,” said Antonio Resma, spokesperson of the team composed of various government offices and the city police.

On Thursday night, Emano warned the demolition team to keep off the capitol compound, arguing that the area is not part of the city hall’s jurisdiction even as he vowed to protect it from Resma’s group. The governor then came out with a list of failures of city hall, including the worsening problem on vehicular congestion in the city, and called local officials “inutile.”

The governor found himself entangled in a public dispute with Resma, a special investigator at city hall’s legal office after the latter called on the governor to follow President Duterte’s order by clearing all the public roads in the capitol compound or the city hall-led composite team would do it for him.

Capitol spokesperson Florito “Carlo” Dugaduga said the roads in the capitol compound are not covered by Duterte’s order and the directive of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) because these are not “common roads” referred to in the order.

“These roads are exempted from that order,” he said, adding that it is the prerogative of the provincial government to close them if it wishes to as it has jurisdiction over these roads.

He said there is no instruction from Emano for capitol workers to conduct road-clearing operations in the compound.

Dugaduga said if the DILG or the city government insisted on the demolition, they must coordinate with the governor’s office first.

“If the DILG will invoke the President’s order, then we will also reply and clarify our side on the status and nature of the property,” Dugaduga said.

The DILG memorandum directed local governments to revisit and even revoke ordinances and permits issued to establishments that have encroached or are obstructing public roads and sidewalks.

In a statement late last week, Emano said he would take legal action against capitol outsiders who would demolish structures in the capitol compound.

Resma said it was not his of the composite team’s intent to threaten Emano or the provincial government. He said he merely responded to questions and feedback about the structures seen as road obstructions in the capitol compound.

“We are both LGUs (local governments) instructed by the President to reclaim the roads. For me, it would be better for the capitol to remove the structures that have encroached on the roads there,” Resma said.

He also pointed out that the order from Malacañang has been sent out to all local chief executives — meaning, governors, mayors and even barangay chairpersons.

“That’s why we are asking the province, out of respect, to voluntarily clear the area within their compound,” Resma said.

But Resma also maintained that the capitol compound is located right in the heart of Cagayan de Oro and that the property is part of a barangay in the city. He said local ordinances apply to the capitol compound just as these are applicable to other government offices.