Eight rivers and creeks in Cebu City could eventually have walking paths, landscaped areas and pocket parks under a proposed ordinance seeking to recover public easements and convert suitable riverbanks into recreational spaces.
Councilor Mikel Rama is proposing a citywide program to protect the three-meter public easement along rivers and streams, recover areas that are unlawfully occupied or obstructed, and gradually develop them into greenways and linear parks.
The proposal identifies eight priority waterways: Bulacao River, Kinalumsan River, Tagunol Creek, Guadalupe River, Estero de Parian, Lahug River, Mahiga River and Butuanon River.
The planned greenways could provide spaces for walking, jogging and other recreational activities while supporting environmental restoration and riverbank maintenance.
The measure also seeks to prevent new structures and other unlawful obstructions from occupying public easements, making suitable portions of riverbanks more accessible for public use.
The three-meter easement is already provided under the Water Code of the Philippines. Rama’s proposal would establish a local framework for mapping, protecting and gradually recovering these areas.
Under the proposed ordinance, the city would create a digital map identifying river easements, existing obstructions and potential development areas within 180 days after the measure takes effect.
A separate master plan would guide the development of a connected network of riverside greenways and parks. The City Planning and Development Office, in coordination with the Department of Engineering and Public Works and other city offices, would have one year from the ordinance’s effectivity to prepare the plan.
However, the proposal recognizes that the city cannot recover all riverbank areas immediately. Implementation would proceed in phases, depending on feasibility, public safety, available funding and relocation requirements.
If recovering an easement requires demolishing structures occupied by underprivileged and homeless residents, the city would have to comply with applicable laws governing consultation, due process, relocation and humane demolition.
The proposal also requires the city to protect recovered areas against renewed encroachment within 30 days after recovery is completed.
Depending on safety and engineering requirements, the city could install pathways and lighting and plant vegetation to make the recovered spaces suitable for interim public use.
Barangays would help monitor the areas, report new unlawful structures and assist in maintaining recovered easements.
The proposal remains pending and does not mean riverbank clearing or park construction will begin immediately. Implementation would depend on the ordinance’s enactment and completion of the required planning and recovery processes.
Photo courtesy of Atty. Mikel F. Rama/Facebook
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