The city government of San Fernando has garnered a high rating in the clearing operations of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in compliance with Memorandum Circular 2019-21.

Following a validation and actual inspection of the DILG in the last quarter of 2019, the DILG report showed that San Fernando was able to comply with the following indicators: ordinance, inventory, road clearing, displacement, rehabilitation, and grievance mechanism.

These indicators cover a number of deliverables to be performed by a local government unit — from the enactment of a Sangguniang Panlungsod ordinance on road clearing and banning of road obstructions to the actual operations.

The city’s accomplishments include clearing operations in the city’s major areas such as Jose Abad Santos Avenue, MacArthur Highway, Lazatin Boulevard, and Poblacion.

Apart from this, the city government, through the City Public Order and Safety Coordinating Office (CPOSCO), has also been providing assistance to all the 35 barangays of the city in their respective clearing operations.

“Masaya tayo sa resulta ng validation at maliban sa isang verbal communication with the DILG, nagpadala din sila ng sulat kay (we are happy with the result of the validation and aside from the verbal communication with the DILG, the agency also sent letter to) Mayor Edwin Santiago to commend our efforts. The challenge for us now is to maintain or even surpass our efforts,” CPOSCO officer Louie Clemente said on Monday.

Meanwhile, Santiago said the positive results should be credited not only to the city government but also to the public that continuously supports its initiatives.

“Lagi nating sinasabi na ang disiplina ay nagmumula sa ating mga sarili. Ang tanong ay kung paano tayo nakapag-comply sa direktiba ng DILG gayong malaking pagsubok ito para sa atin. Ang kasagutan ay ang suporta ng publiko sa ating mga inisyatiba, na naniniwala sila sa kakayahan natin at naniniwala silang may paraan sa lahat ng problema (We keep on saying that discipline comes from ourselves. The question is how can we comply with the directive of the DILG because it is a big challenge for us. The answer is the support of the public in our initiatives. They believe in our capabilities and there are ways to solve these problems),” he said.

The CPOSCO said there were more than 14,000 recorded apprehensions of different violations made by motorists, including public utility jeepneys, motorcycles, tricycles, heavy vehicles, and private vehicles during the same period last year.

Clemente said the DILG is set to conduct another validation and inspection in the first quarter of 2020. (PNA)