Barangay execs told: Focus on battle against flood

CEBU, Philippines —  Former environment secretary Roy Cimatu has asked the barangay captains of Cebu City to focus on garbage collection, flood mitigation, and relocation of informal settlers in their ongoing battle against flooding.

Cimatu, who heads the city’s “Gubat sa Baha” initiative, met with the barangay officials in the presence of Mayor Michael Rama to personally appeal to them to help the city government solve the problem of excessive flooding.

Cimatu noted that the members of the task force have observed that the rivers are always full of garbage indiscriminately thrown by residents.

“Kung walang magtatapon, walang dumi yung river. Kung marami ang matatapon, madumi talaga ang river,” Cimatu said.

One reason people throw their trash into the rivers, he pointed out, “is because their piled-up garbage is not regularly collected.”

He asked the barangay officials present during the meeting to make sure that they are able to efficiently collect garbage, especially in interior areas, so that people will not have any reason to indiscriminately throw their garbage.

“Kailangan makatulong rin ang mga barangay captain kasi mandato ninyo ito. Trabaho ng mga barangay captain itong ginagawa ng task force,” Cimatu said.

Rama also called on the barangay officials to set aside political affiliation and work with the city government for the betterment of the city.

“I will be with you in service. Make service alive, and no politics involved. Help me and I’ll help all of you. Wala’y pili, I guarantee,” Rama said.

The mayor reiterated his directive to strictly implement the recovery of the three-meter easement of rivers and other waterways in the city by using all applicable local and national laws.

In response, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president and Kasambagan barangay captain Franklyn Ong encouraged his fellow barangay leaders to support the mayor and the Gubat sa Baha program.

“Hinaot kitang tanan magkahiusa ta ug suportahan nato ang programa sa atong mayor ug kaning Gubat sa Baha,” said Ong, who is one of the stalwarts of the opposition Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).

The task force, through designated river commanders, has been profiling dwellers and tagging structures within the 3-meter easement zones. In previous meetings, the river commanders reported that some barangay leaders have been supportive of their activities, but noted that some have also been passive and indifferent.

Flood early warning system

Meanwhile, a new Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) has been installed in Toledo City and Dumanjug, Cebu. The system is important to avoid flood-related damage and losses

The ceremonial turnover of the FEWS, which will enable the recipient communities to respond to warning messages appropriately and in a timely manner, was held recently.

DOST-PAGASA together with the government of South Korea through the National Disaster Management & Research Institute (NDMI) implemented the $1-Million project entitled “Strengthening the Capability of the Republic of the Philippines on Disaster Risk Reduction.”

It is funded under South Korea’s Global Projects on Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR).

According to DOST-7, the main objective of this initiative is to provide as much prior warning as possible of an impending flood to the authorities and the general public, as well as to improve the disaster risk reduction capabilities of Toledo and Dumanjug.  This project is the first-ever in the Province of Cebu.

The implementation started last June and will be completed in November 2022.

DOST-7 Regional Director Engr. Jesus F. Zamora Jr. said that there is a need to prepare for more extreme weather conditions and that the DOST Regional Office 7 is one with PAGASA in bringing new technologies and innovations to Central Visayas for disaster management and risk reduction.

Zamora thanked the South Korean government for its active support on the welfare and economic growth of developing nations through undertakings such as this. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, FPL (FREEMAN)

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