Village chief worried about Bulacao River

CEBU, Philippines - In view of the coming rains, barangay Bulacao is now appealing to the Talisay City government to include its river in the cleanup drive to prevent flooding.

Bulacao barangay chief Raul Cabañero said the city has failed to include in its cleanup campaign the Bulacao River, which is the boundary of Talisay and Cebu City.

The city has since been unclogging waterways such as the Mananga River and its open canals in preparation for the rainy season, but the barangay chief said the Bulacao River has yet to get such attention.

He said he has already sent a request to the city, considering that it has all the resources, but his request has not been acted upon, and now he's worried about floods that may come anytime. Non-stop rainfall can easily rise the water level in this river, with the excess water coming from neighboring mountain barangays, thereby endangering the lives of those living along the riverbanks, said Cabañero.

The Bulacao River has also become a convenient dumpsite to those living near the area.

All kinds of waste scattered along the river can cause flooding, he said.

The city with its equipment can easily clean it up, like what it has been doing in other areas, he added.

Councilor Bernardo Odilao, council committee chairman on Environment, has spearheaded the rehabilitation of the Mananga River, which he hopes to turn it into a public park instead of another dumpsite. Odilao, however, has yet to start a cleanup drive in Bulacao, following the request of Cabañero.

Talisay has been dubbed the "Aqua City" in the south because of the abundance of water here, but the water sources, such as the rivers, could likely become polluted because of the presence of different types of trash including human waste.

The city has yet to create a Mananga Task Force, under the leadership of Odilao, which would be tasked to watch over the already-polluted Mananga River, but it is not yet sure if the scope of the new group will include the Bulacao River. – THE FREEMAN