P1.15 billion for dredging
The Department of Public Works and Highways-7 will implement dredging, de-silting, and de-clogging projects worth P1.15 billion in Cebu City before the year ends or early next year.
This was disclosed by Councilor Jerry Guardo, deputy mayor for infrastructure matters, who met members of DPWH and the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works, among others.
Of the P1.15 billion, DPWH has P730 million under the 2016 budget and another P420 million under the 2017 budget for Cebu City’s rivers and creeks.
“So, I’m glad to inform you that DPWH is in the process of procuring services for the contractor who will undertake the floodcontrol projects,” Guardo said.
He said DPWH has identified the creeks that will be de-silted, de-clogged, and will be dredged. These include the Mahiga Creek and Tejero Creek, among others.
Guardo said these flood-control projects need to be implemented because of the city’s situation during heavy rains.
“Kinahanglan namo i-declog ang kadtong mga creek kay otherwise ang observation namo kung dili nato i-declog murag silted na sad ang atong creek ang mahitabo man gud kung hightide unya silted ang atong mga creek unya inig baha mao ng dali ra mo flood ang city,” he said.
The concern, Guardo said, is on informal settlers living along the riverbanks and danger zones.
He said Mayor Tomas Osmeña has asked DPWH for a P140 million budget to transfer these informal settlers. The city will look for a relocation site.
Guardo said he is now working with DPWH in drafting a memorandum of agreement on the implementation of the flood-control projects, which would affect informal settlers.
Guardo said he called for the meeting because he asked the City Planning Development Office to look for the city’s drainage master plan.
Meanwhile, the DEPW is proposing for a P3.5 million budget for the maintenance of drainage and flood-control programs and P4 million for other related supplies and materials expense on drainage out of the department’s P151.9 million budget proposal for 2018.
City Engineer Josefa Ylanan said there are P23.3 million flood-control projects to be implemented in different barangays proposed under the Local Development Fund.
During the budget hearing yesterday, councilors questioned the unimplemented road construction of concrete pavement, as well as stone masonry slope protection, in various barangays in the city.
Ylanan said incomplete documents and lack of manpower are among the reasons of the delay. The department is also reportedly addressing the projects not implemented by the previous administration.
She submitted a list of unimplemented projects to Osmeña’s office.
The city government did not push for drainage projects for 2016 and 2017 because of several unimplemented projects in 2015 and in previous years.
Ylanan said the city has implemented drainage projects worth P362.447 million since 2015.
The DEPW’s report states that all projects started construction from January 2015 to June 2016 and projects were completed from July 2016 to August 2017.
This year, DEPW said is at least P2.9 billion for drainage projects, including the P1.5 billion (2015) budget in the previous years that were left unimplemented.
In 2010, at least P7.3 million worth of projects were not been implemented.
In 2012, at least P18 million were implemented for waterways, river walls, drainage projects, and flood control projects.
In 2013, at least P15.58 million worth of projects were left unimplemented, which are supposedly allocated for the drainage system and flood control projects.
In 2014, a budget of P185 million for waterways, aqueducts, seawall, river, and drainage projects were unimplemented.
In 2015, the P1.75 billion for drainage projects was left unimplemented.
Ylanan said her office is doing its best and implement these projects as it would help address the “worsening” flood problem in the city.