Talisay attends to flood-prone villages

CEBU, Philippines - With very little fund to address the problem on flooding, the Talisay City government is building a drainage system by phases, and has started it in the most flood-prone areas.

City councilor Rodi Cabigas, chairman on council committee on infrastructure, said presently the city is starting the drainage system in barangay Tabunok, along sitio Bahadas, where water rises knee-deep during rainy days.

“Gisiguro namo ron ang mga lugar nga pirming bahaon. And we’re not only building drainage systems, we are also repairing the roads of our barangays,” Cabigas said.

Before Tabunok, barangays Mohon and Pooc were also given a better drainage system and a network of good roads.

The city has several barangays, which include Poblacion, Cansojong, Lagtang, Bulacao among others, that are known to be flood-prone, but the third-term councilor could not say if the project would run to these barangays also.

Cabigas said it may depend on the funding.

The city already has an integrated drainage masterplan, done a few years ago, yet with its budget which is said to eat at least P100-million, Cabigas said his term may end, and he still won’t see that project implemented.

Earlier, councilors Romeo Villarante, Danny Caballero, and Val Ylanan of the minority questioned the city government’s inaction on its drainage system when it has the money.

For this year alone, the city is running with a little less than P500 million, yet there is very little given to its drainage projects.

Last year, the city only approved P5 million for the implementation of this project, which the minority councilors said is not enough for the supposed city-wide program.  

Villarante, Ylanan, and Caballero said the city would rather spend on a multi-million beautification project in front of the city hall, rather than on a program that would have saved its constituents from rainwater floods.  (FREEMAN)