Cabanlas leads discussion on city flood control plan

Councilor Edgar S. Cabanlas, chair of the Committee on Public Works, led the joint coordination meeting with the Office of the City Engineer, District Engineering Offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Region 10, and the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) to discuss the city’s proposed program for declogging and desilting of waterways to prevent potential perils of flooding during the rainy season.

“We have to prepare ahead because the heavy downpour of the rainy season will start in October until December,” opined Cabanlas in vernacular. There is a need to identify flood-prone areas in each district, and that the target date should be determined immediately so as to mitigate the risks of flooding, he added.

Cabanlas also urged the city and DPWH engineering offices, CLENRO, and the barangay officials to deploy their workforce and provide the needed equipment for the operation of the plan.

The committee received favorable feedback from all agencies and departments concerned, citing that their offices remain committed in their mandate to clear waterways and declog existing drainage.

Targets and tasks

The committee set the timeline on September 12-13 for the flood mitigation operation in the first district, specifically in Kauswagan and Bulua, while the Bitan-ag Creek in the second district is slated for similar operation on September 18-19.

On September 24, the committee will conduct an assessment on the effectiveness of the program to be reported by Chairman Marlo L. Tabac of Barangay Gusa, who was designated as overall chair to oversee the successful implementation of the plan.

Tabac said he will add after his assessment report the next batch of barangays, such as those frequently flooded areas in Carmen and Puerto, which will benefit from the declogging and desilting program of the city government.

Meanwhile, Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction Committee Chair Bernie Esparcia will spearhead in streamlining communication channels about the initiative, ensuring that city residents and all involved are informed. He also initially created the working title of the project as “Kanal Limpyohan, Baha Malikayan”.

Councilor Yvy Emano, who was also present during the meeting, prodded the team of Chair Tabac to conduct an ocular inspection first to determine if the 2-day flood control efforts would suffice.

“This should not be a band-aid solution,” she said, believing that a long-term approach is more sustainable.

In closing, Cabanlas called for another joint meeting on August 23 to finalize the needed preparations of the plan.