By Tara Yap

A demand letter was sent to businessman Andrew Ong requesting the removal of an illegal structure along Dungon Creek by today, March 2.
In compliance with an order from Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, the Iloilo City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Iloilo City Legal Office, Iloilo City Planning and Development Office, Department of Public Works and Highways-Region VI (DPWH-6), and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region VI (DENR-6) penned the letter to the businessman.
Last month, Mabilog, City Administrator Atty. Hernando Galvez, and CENRO voted to remove obstructions along the said waterway, pointing to Leandro and Elena Ong and Ong Ching Liong, who reclaimed the land and conducted a back-filling operation.
The action is said to have resulted in 40 homes in Barangay Desamparados and 15 homes in Calubihan, both in the Jaro District of Iloilo City, to experience flooding during moderate rainfall.
The structure owned by Andrew Ong reportedly impedes the natural flow of water./WDJ