Five regular employees of the Bacolod City Government are now under formal investigation for their alleged role in authorizing a fencing permit for an illegal structure that blocked a crucial waterway in Barangay Villamonte.
Show Cause Order Issued to Engineers
Mayor Greg Gasataya confirmed that the five individuals, all assigned to the Office of the Building Official (OBO), received a show cause order on Monday, December 1, 2025. The group includes several engineers. They have been given a five-day period to submit their written explanations regarding the allegations.
The mayor stated that the employees are suspected of being involved in both the issuance of the fencing permit and in improperly accepting application documents for building permit processing. Regular employees are not authorized to process such documents for building permit issuance, highlighting a breach of protocol.
Illegal Structure Ordered Removed
This investigation stems from a broader city campaign to clear obstructed waterways and mitigate flooding. On November 28, 2025, Mayor Gasataya issued a cease and desist order (CDO) against a private landowner who built a concrete riprap structure along Sulom Creek in the same barangay.
The illegal fence was constructed on the creek's legal easement, narrowing the waterway and creating a flooding risk for nearby residents. The property owner was directed to remove the structure and given a non-extendible 72-hour period to explain why administrative, civil, and criminal charges should not be filed.
Permit Riddled with Irregularities
Although the project had a fencing permit dated May 28, 2024, a subsequent inspection uncovered multiple serious violations. Key irregularities include:
- Encroachment on the creek's legal easement.
- Obstruction of a natural waterway, violating Article 51 of Presidential Decree 1067 (The Water Code of the Philippines).
- Breaches of the National Building Code and its Implementing Rules, alongside other local and environmental ordinances.
In a related action on the same day, the city also issued a CDO against Neo Food Corporation in Purok Santol, Barangay 20. The company allegedly built a fence extending directly into a creek, obstructing water flow and contributing to area flooding.
The simultaneous investigations into both private entities and city employees mark a significant escalation in Bacolod's fight against structures that exacerbate the city's perennial flood problems.
