CEBU CITY – The Cebu City Council convened a special session Sunday and approved a P10-million fund for the city’s preparedness program. Councilor Gerardo Carillo, who chairs the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council said the session was called so that the Council could get ready to ensure that Cebu City will be prepared for any calamity in the future. The P10-million appropriation for this purpose is necessary to make certain that measure are in place to beef up Cebu City’s preparedness for disaster, he said. For his part, Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem gave a background on typhoons, particularly those expected to hit the country in the near future. He said part of the P10-million budget for the city’s calamity preparedness will be used to buy food, medicines and other needs for families that will be affected by calamities. Jakosalem said if a heavy downpour occurs in the city, some 200 families living within a three-meter radius from the riverbank are expected to be affected and will have to be evacuated to safer places. The north district councilor said that once the city temporarily relocates families affected by flood or fire, food will have to be purchased to feed them. (Mars Mosqueda Jr.)

RP’s oldesr street to be rid of vendors

CEBU CITY – Colon Street in this City, which is the country’s oldest street dating back to the Spanish era, will be cleared of sidewalk vendors after City officials received complaints vendors in the area have been increasing and are blocking pedestrians off the sidewalk.Squatters Prevention Encroachment and Elimination Division (SPEED) Chief Vicente Mercado said he has received orders from Acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to clean up Colon Street, among other major streets in the City of sidewalk vendors to ensure that sidewalks are rid of vendors and made free for use by pedestrians. Mercado said the number of vendors are expected to grow further with the coming of the Christmas season, thus the need for SPEED to ensure that they do not take over the sidewalk before then.City Hall has given SPEED only one month to clear the sidewalk along Colon Street and other streets in the City as well.

The clearing operation, said Mercado, starts today, Monday.Other sidewalks to be cleared, other than that along the stretch of Coron, are Osmeña Boulevard, Jakosalem, Manalili, Pelaez, Borromeo, Sanciangko, Legaspi and others.In clearing the sidewalks, Mercado ensured that SPEED will not resort to demolition. Instead, vendors will merely be urged to stay clear of the sidewalks to make way for passersby.

But, he stressed, if vendors insist on staying on the sidewalks, SPEED will have no option but to sequester their merchandise. (Mars Mosqueda Jr.)

Authorities rid Bacolod canals of garbage

BACOLOD CITY – Truckloads of garbage were hauled during the joint Army and Police clean-up drive conducted by Bacolod City police and some 50 soldiers from the 303rd Infantry Battalion Philippine
Army (IBPA) last week along the shoreline of Brgy. Singcang Airport, Bacolod City. The soldiers, under Commanding Officer, Col. Maximo Caro’s command and led by Capt. Nicolas Bejemino, worked with 62 policemen from the Bacolod City Police Office and barangay officials in digging up deeply buried plastics and other garbage in the canals which have clogged drainage and resulting to floods in the area. The bulk of the garbage came from Puroks 1, 4, Calong-calong, Magsungay and Magsaysay, all in Barangay Singcang Airport. The said activity was prompted by the mounting garbage in the areas mentioned, after continuous rain in previous weeks. According to Col. Caro, the clean-up drive was “one way by which the Army and the police elements was able to enhance the legitimacy of government forces in the area.” (Edith Colmo)