MikeLigalig.com

By Rey Anthony Chiu
PIA - Bohol

  The environment secretary has okayed on the suggestion to spill the clogged city drainage system to the sea, reasoning that the city residents should not be made to suffer for an illegality.

  Arriving in Bohol to keynote a convention of the country’s foresters at the Bohol Tropics Resort, environment Secretary Joselito Atenza apparently has resolved an issue, which has kept local officials buck-passing the blame while keeping residents in limbo. 

  In a radio interview the day after he set foot in Bohol, Sec. Atienza revealed that he has explicitly ordered the local Department of Environment and Natural Resources Office here to immediately coordinate with the city government to un-tap the illegal connections along the drainage. 

  The opening up of the closed drainage however, Sec. Ateinza said, should be done only when there is a heavy down pour.

  The move probably based on the logic that the heavy volume of storm water would dilute the dirty water enough to make it relatively safe for spilling into Tagbilaran City Bay.

  “While we are not yet able to correct the irregularities, I have instructed the local DENR Officer to rush the cutting of illegal connections,” he said over the radio lane.

  Atienza pressed that it is indeed the local government units who should implement the disconnection, but added he had ordered his men to assist and coordinate with the city mayor.

  It may be recalled that the city drainage system along Carlos P. Garcia avenue is packaged with the Bohol Circumferential Road Improvement Project as implemented by the Project Management Office (PMO) of the Philippine Japan Highways Loan Project who had Hanjin Heavy Engineering doing the construction.

  Hanjin authorities have aired that the illegal connections had the green-light by the PMO, despite the fact that the project specifically states that the canals would only be for storm drains.

  To put up a conduit for the rain water to flow out to the sea, the local Department of Public Works and Highways implemented the San Jose street drainage and out fall towards Tagbilaran Bay.

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