Budget to address flooding

Cebu City’s Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) clarified that the biggest cut of their proposed budget under the first supplemental budget (SB 1) will help address flooding at the South Road Properties (SRP).

Engr. Josefa Ylanan, chief of DEPW, said the proposed P72 million for the improvement of the industrial road at the SRP is not intended to provide more access to Inayawan Sanitary Landfill.

“In the future, the road will be helpful during flooding because it will be higher compared to the existing roads at the SRP,” she said.

Ylanan, along with Engr. Nilo Ygot, made the clarification after Councilor Joel Garganera, during the budget hearing for the SB 1 yesterday, questioned the project.

Garganera said the road is an access to the landfill, which is located at the back portion of SRP.

“Why are we putting the road to the landfill? Are we resurrecting the landfill?” he said.

Garganera made the comment since under the budget document, DEPW declared that the allocation is intended for facelifting of the in- dustrial road-landfill road.

However, Ygot said the road is actually the Pardo road.

Under the program of works and estimates of the project, the industrial road will start from the coastal road, passing near the University of Cebu property to Bigfoot property and ending along the causeway of the SRP.

It has a length of 1.3 kms., 700 meters for section I and 700 meters for section II.

Under SB 1, DEPW proposed P131.7 million in additional funds. Of the amount, P35 million was also set aside for paving and retreading of various roads in the city.

DEPW did not specify what these roads are. It will submit the listing to the council next week.

Councilor Raymond Garcia asked DEPW if the amount they’re asking is enough for all the dilapidated roads in the city.

Ylanan said the P35 million will cover only the road works that they’re sure they can complete this year.

“We did not ask for a big budget for it because we just estimated those that we can complete. Another factor is the weather, there might be a delay due to the rain so we’re only asking for enough budget,” she said.

Under SB 1, the executive department pushed for an additional budget of P716.5 million, which will cover the City’s expenses in basic services and other operations. /