Councilor To Personally File Charges Against ‘Negligent Officials’

Neophyte City Councilor David “Dave” Tumulak vowed to be the one to file the appropriate charges against any barangay officials who fails to implement the laws within their respective territorial jurisdictions, particularly the laws on calamity prevention.

“Ako maoy mangunay pagpasaka og kaso ngadto sa mga opisyal sa kabarangayan nga dili mopatuman sa balaud diha sa ilang mga dapit. Dili ko mahadlok kon sa sunod eleksyon dili na ko makadaug,” said Tumulak when he was interviewed Monday after the meeting of the members of the Reduce Danger Zone in Rivers (ReDZ-R).

Acting Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said he supports Tumulak’s move, although he will not follow him to be the one to initiate the filing of charges against those negligent barangay officials.

During the ReDZ-R meeting Monday, it has been discussed that the thousands of houses that are constructed within the three-meter radius from the bank of creeks and rivers should be removed to prevent the occupants from danger.

Tumulak has admitted that such move needs millions if not billions of pesos if the city will provide financial assistance, including relocation sites for those families that will be affected of the clearing project.

The law provides that living or constructing houses within the three-meter easement from the bank of the rivers and creeks is strictly prohibited, but such illegal activity has been tolerated by the government officials not only in Cebu City, but also in other local government units nationwide.

Authorities said many of these families had constructed ‘ripraps’ expanding their areas and reducing the sizes of the creeks or rivers, that is why flood water usually overflows during heavy downpour.

Tumulak said it was not provided in the provisions of Republic Act 10021, or the Disaster Risk-Reduction Management law, that the government is obliged to first provide financial assistance or relocation sites to people that will be evicted from the danger areas.

When the city hired private contractors to dredge the heavily silted rivers and creeks of the city in 2011 and 2012, the presence of the illegal structures within the three-meter radius from the creeks had caused difficulties to the workers.