ILOILO CITY — The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has turned to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for help in addressing Iloilo City’s flooding problems.
The council, in its regular session on Tuesday, unanimously passed a resolution urging the national government agency to “conduct a study for a possible solution and recommend for inclusion in their pipelines of projects in Western Visayas to be approved by the President.”
The resolution authored by councilor Joshua Alim said “flooding, every time heavy rain falls, has been considered as a perennial problem of Ilonggo people.”
“I was so exasperated. I am annoyed,” he said in a follow-up interview.
Alim said he wanted NEDA to include in its study the establishment of a water impounding facility similar to that in Taguig City in Metro Manila
Taguig, which is below sea level, has a five-story water impounding facility underneath Burgos Circle, he said.
Rainwater is stored inside the facility during flooding and during low tide, it is released. “As I have observed, that is the solution,” he said.
He said the drainage project that was constructed by the Sargasso Construction and Development Corporation along Jalandoni Street, City Proper could not solve the problem on flooding. He believed that the project, a box culvert type, was not thoroughly studied.
The project implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has a budget allocation of PHP100 million.
Alim said he already broached the idea of a water impounding facility during a roadshow on the Regional Development Plan conducted by the NEDA in Iloilo City in July.
The councilor added he also suggested the establishment of the water impounding facility to DPWH Western Visayas Assistant Regional Director Al Fruto last year.
“I even gave them a copy of the studies in The Netherlands and locally about Taguig but it seemed they were not convinced,” he said.
He said that NEDA “is authorized by the law to conduct studies and make recommendations relative to the implementation of projects for local government unit that require a big budget.”
“It was only my initiative because I heard that when it requires budget of more than PHP50 million, they can acquire jurisdiction already,” he said. (Perla Lena/PNA)
