Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Friday warned she would sanction barangay officials who shall fail to cooperate with President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to clear roads of illegal obstructions.
She called on these officials for their full cooperation.
“We should put into mind that what we are doing is not just for me or for the President, but for the orderliness of our community,” she said.
In a recent meeting, she gave the barangay officials the assurance of the city government’s assistance to enable them to comply with the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s directive, including equipment, such as closed-circuit television cameras and wheel clamps for illegally parked vehicles.
“I have instructed our village executives about the President’s goal to clear the roads of obstructions within 60 days,” she said.
She said she would hold the barangay officials accountable for the clearing operations.
Belmonte also said she would meet with different government agencies based in Quezon City to find solution to the city’s traffic problem.
She gave assurances the city government was right on target in complying with the 60-day deadline imposed by the DILG.
She said the intention was not to be the fastest local government unit to achieve the goal but to meet the 60-day target to free all of the city’s public roads of illegal structures and other forms of barriers.
During their recent meeting, barangay officials expressed their full cooperation with Belmonte in clearing “Mabuhay lanes (alternate routes’’), national roads, and secondary roads from any obstacles.
Belmonte warned she would penalize barangay officials who would fail to follow the directive.
But she added the local government would extend the necessary assistance for them to comply with the DILG’s directive, including equipment such as CCTV and wheel clamps for illegally parked vehicles.