INITIAL data from the Baguio government’s efforts to map out its 128 barangays with regards to roads right of way (RROW) have found that some 1,200 properties are already encroaching on roads, even as only less than half of the city’s area have been mapped out.
Januario Borillo, chief of the City Engineering Office (CEO)’s traffic and transportation management division, said that more or less 37,000 square meters of RROW have been encroached at present.
According to Borillo, the CEO is planning to cooperate with the City Treasury Office (CTO ) to do a mapping project that would specify individual owners whose structures have occupied RROW.
Under the partnership, the two offices would identify structures that encroach on RROW and charge them appropriate rent based on the encroachments.
“These rentals could be a source of additional revenue for the city government that will be allocated to support its ongoing RROW recovery program which has a limited budget,” he said.
Borillo added that a problem possibly faced by some of those applying for building permits is that they may not know that their structures have already encroached on RROW.
“In this matter, our office can help them by mapping the barangays where these owners can see whether their structures have gone out of their property lines or not. This is where the RROW recovery program can help them,” he said.
