By Teofilo Garcia, Jr. | Philippine News Agency
ZAMBOANGA CITY — The City Housing and Land Management Division (CHLMD) has recommended the repair and conversion to concrete structures of all wooden footbridges constructed in the Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Reconstruction (Z3R) areas.
The Z3R areas are the five coastal barangays that were severely affected during the 21-day 2013 Zamboanga siege. These are the barangays of Mariki, Rio Hondo, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Catalina and Kasanyangan.
Rodrigo Pagotaisidro, CHLMD officer-in-charge, said Saturday the recommendation has been forwarded to the National Housing Authority (NHA) and is awaiting approval of funding allocation.
Pagotaisidro said initial estimates show that Phase I of the concrete footbridge is worth P25 million or a total of P150 million for the six wooden-foot bridges that need immediate repair.
On April 26, 2018, Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar along with the then First District Rep. Celso Lobregat, and then 3rd district Rep. Albee Benitez and NHA officials, fell into the murky water when the wooden footbridge they were passing collapsed in Sitio Hongkong, Barangay Rio Hondo.
They were on the way to inspect houses-on-stilt projects for the Zamboanga siege victims when the incident happened.
Meanwhile, Pagotaisidro said his office is currently conducting actual occupancy verification of the thousands of houses built under Z3R in a bid to determine if the occupants are still the original awardees or the houses have new occupants or illegal entrants in the area.
Pagotaisidro said the verification will also determine if ownership of the housing units have been transferred to other families other than the original awardees.
The Z3R is the government blueprint for the rehabilitation of the areas affected during the Zamboanga siege.
