Baguio City cracks down on illegal constructions, including in watersheds��

MORE than 200 new construction projects across Baguio have been ordered to stop for lack of a building permit, the city government reported Friday.������

City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) head Johnny A. Degay said the 223 illegal construction works were located in various private and public properties.������

The violators were discovered during monitoring operations conducted beginning April 1 based on a directive from Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong to ensure strict compliance to building permit regulations.������

Donald A. Gas-ib, head of the CBAO Investigation and Demolition Division, said 94 of these constructions are on titled lots while 106 are on unregistered lots.�� The remaining 23 were found encroaching in the road right-of-way.����

Under the Baguio Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures (BASIS) campaign, the city government has been cracking down on illegal structures and unregistered constructions.��������

“We are taking this campaign seriously since this is a very crucial issue in our city,” Mr. Magalong said.������

“It is not just an issue of safety but also of health and sanitation, all of which are critical factors affecting the well-being of our residents.”����

The CBAO earlier conducted a census of existing structures in the city and found that 80% or 96,000 of the 120,000 structures have no building permits.����

Meanwhile, 26 illegal constructions were also discovered in three of Baguio’s watersheds.��

City Legal Officer Althea Rosanna V. Alberto said they are now preparing demolition orders against these structures, some of which are “large” and made of concrete materials.������

The mayor earlier ordered an intensified watch over watersheds against illegal settlers to protect the city’s forest reservations. — Artemio A. Dumlao��