Local officials in Iloilo City and the town of Oton are raising alarm that multimillion-peso flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) may be worsening the very problem they were designed to solve.
Mayor Raisa Treñas said the city has called in experts from the University of the Philippines (UP) and Central Philippine University to determine whether the projects are aggravating flooding in the area.
“Our project with UP will start this month. We want our judgment and solutions to be scientific,” Treñas stressed, adding that findings are expected in November.
Treñas made the statement during an inspection of the flood mitigation project in Barangay Mohon, Arevalo, where concrete embankments funded at ₱90.92 million and ₱143.3 million under two separate contracts have encroached into the Iloilo River.
Punong Barangay Rico Francis Acap claimed that the project has eaten up nearly half of the waterway, causing unusual flooding during Tropical Depressions Crising and Dante.
Oton Mayor Sofronio Fusin Jr. backed the complaint, revealing that seven of their barangays were underwater for four days, with floodwaters reaching shoulder level.
He assailed the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) for failing to coordinate with their town even as the projects directly impact their communities.
Environmental officials also cast doubt on whether the projects comply with the law requiring a three-meter easement from riverbanks.
CENRO Officer Armin Halili said outdated cadastral surveys dating back to 1911 make verification difficult, but stressed that a new technical survey based on land titles is necessary.
Treñas, who has long criticized DPWH for implementing projects without consulting the city government, said similar concerns also plague flood control works in Lapuz and Jaro districts.
“We hope that with closer coordination with DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, the concerns of Iloilo City residents will finally be heard,” she said.IMT
