Author Topic: Dumaguete mayor vows to source funds for flood control  (Read 231 times)

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Dumaguete mayor vows to source funds for flood control
« on: May 29, 2020, 01:34:29 PM »
DUMAGUETE CITY – Amid public fear and frustration over the increased vulnerability to flooding in Barangay Banilad and nearby areas, the mayor of Dumaguete City has promised during a weekend dialogue with residents to source funds for flood control measures.

Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo made the assurance even as he told disgruntled residents that his administration only “inherited” the problem from previous local chief executives and that he is just serving his first year in office.

Remollo promised that once a master plan to include a drainage system and perhaps widening of easements, among others, is ready, he will ask the city council to include funding for the same in the city’s 2018 budget.

Although the budget for next year has already been passed, the mayor asked residents and barangay officials of Banilad to cooperate with the city, in that some residences and/or vacant lots may have to sacrifice a portion of their property for a wider drainage system and for its proper alignment purposes.

If they would not donate, then the city government might opt for expropriation, the mayor said.

The dialogue came as the flooding problem in Banilad, particularly the road leading to the slaughterhouse and city jail, is becoming frequent these days with no tangible solutions being considered.

Frustrated residents have lamented that their repeated pleas over the years to address the problem have fallen on deaf ears, as they expressed alarm that lives are at a higher risk today than in previous years.

The volume of water during rains and/or flooding up in the mountains of nearby Valencia is increasing each year due to a shift in climate patterns, and the mayor admits that the lower portion of the road in Banilad to the national highway cannot accommodate the overflowing water.

These days, at the slightest moderate rainfall, this particular road gets flooded and during heavy rainfall, the road turns into a mini-river when the “Sapang Lagnasan,” a dry creek, overflows.

City Engineer Edwin Quirit and City Planning Officer Engr. Leonides Caro, during the dialogue admitted that while they have already inspected and mapped out the course of the flooding, they do not have a formal study on the amount of rainfall or the volume of water coming from Valencia that would cause flooding in the lower areas at any given time.

Because of development, with houses and other buildings sprouting around the area, the watercourse has shifted again, leaving city officials with a dilemma on how to address the flooding problem.

Additionally, some lands being traversed by the floodwaters do not have existing records at the assessor’s office or no one in the neighborhood could provide information on possible owners, Engr. Caro pointed out. She appealed for help on this.

The city officials also stressed that it is the responsibility of the village chief, Raul Bana, to organize a plan of action at the lower level when flooding occurs while the city is still finding ways to solve the perennial problem.

Mayor Remollo also stressed that residents must also do their share such as refraining from throwing plastics and other trash that clog up the drainage and tributaries.

An irate resident, Philippine National Police (PNP) Sr. Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, vented out his anger and frustration during the dialogue, saying that the initiative to hold the dialogue had to come from him instead of from the barangay officials.

He told the city officials that they should inform residents of the city’s efforts in finding solutions to the flooding problem instead of just keeping mum about it.

Lawas and other neighbors are the most affected by the floods because it is where the heaviest volume of water from the upland areas exit onto the road down to the highway.

During Typhoon Pablo last Oct. 18, the road turned into a mini-river anew with the floodwaters videotaped by another resident. In the morning, the road was rendered impassable as sand, coconuts, rocks, logs and other debris had piled up after the waters had subsided.

According to Lawas, he and other residents are willing to help pay for the fees in acquiring copies of land titles, after Engr. Caro said the city does not have the money for this.

The Dumaguete mayor initially pledged to take the funding from the city’s 20 percent development fund for the flood control measures in Banilad, and assured that with the approval of the city council, the local government will acquire a loan from the bank.

This week, the City Engineer’s Office, the City Planning Office and barangay officials will conduct another inspection and promised to call for another dialogue later to update residents on the city’s efforts to solve the flooding problem in Banilad.

They also promised to coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to determine if there is an available geo-hazard mapping of the flood-prone areas here. (PNA)

 DECEMBER 2017

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