Business and building owners and barangay officials of Sto. Tomas Dontogan had a dialogue with the Permits and Licensing Division (PLD) and representatives of other offices regarding the conscerns observed in the area.
PLD Head Allan Abayo asked applicants of building or business permits in the area to compile and submit documents for reassessment and file a group petition or a barangay resolution to be forwarded to the city council.
Abayao reiterated businesses must have permits to operate.
Councilor Isabelo Cosalan, Jr. who chairs the committee on market, trade, and commerce said a council resolution has been filed regarding the concerns on the issuance of permits to buildings that are subject to the rulings of the National Commission on Indigenous People rulings.
Cosalan expressed hope building permit issues in the area will be addressed through a legislation.
Personnel from the City Engineering Office, City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO), Assessors’ Office, City Legal Office, and City Environment and Parks Management (Cepmo) also presented their findings after the simultaneous inspection and cleanup as directed by Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
Among the environmental concerns observed in the area are scattered and uncontained wastes. Cepmo Environmental Management Division personnel Bernadette Pagteilan added there are leaking and overflowing septic tanks, illegal discharges, untreated, and dog wastes are released directly to waterways.
Pagteilan said the practices are not compliant with the Environment Code.
City Legal Officer Charles Dumasi informed the attendees of the road widening where the 30 meters should be measured from the road centerline.
He said certificates of ancestral land title and their derivatives, transfers, claims, and overlaps may be checked with the NCIP while road right-of-way clearances are from the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Engr. Maxwel Matiwtiw of the CBAO advised structural owners to apply for building permits, saying earlier inspection yielded 41 buildings with no permits.
Abayao requested the attendees to be responsible homeowners and be concerned of their livelihood and the environment.
“Please police your own ranks, be mindful of your surroundings and ensure safety, cleanliness, and orderliness,” Abayao said. – Julie G. Fianza
