‘Portion not Included in Expropriation,’ Owner Says

Even before Thursday’s issuance of a Notice of Illegal Construction by the Office of the Building Official (OBO), work was already completed on a building along Escario Street corner Gorordo Avenue, where a sidewalk expansion project reportedly encroached a portion of Escario Street.

The sidewalk reportedly encroached more than a meter of the road where construction workers also put a curve and gutter and painted it yellow.

Mayor Michael Rama refused to further comment on the issue pending investigation by the OBO, particularly the claim of the building owner, who also claimed ownership over the extended portion because the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allegedly did not pay them after road was widened several years ago.

“I learned from our legal officer nga ang bag-ong owner anang building mireklamo nga kanang portion nga ila karong gi-improve dili apil sa gi-expropriate sa DPWH pero tungod kay nagtrabaho sila nga walay permit ato sila nga gipahunong,” said DPWH-Cebu City district engineer Nicomedes Leonor.

City Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez said they already advised the owners of the building to secure a permit for their improvement and said the matter will be referred to the City Legal Office if they fail to comply.

The three-storey building used to be occupied by the Social Security System (SSS) for several years.

The workers usually start work at 8 o’clock in the evening until the wee hours of the morning and covered the area to reportedly conceal the new curve and gutter which is more than one meter from the original curve and gutter. At present, the Kilometer Post No. 1, which shows that the place is exactly one kilometer from the Provincial Capitol building, is already situated in the middle of the wide sidewalk.