STRANDED. Commuters wade through the flooded street along Jungquera Extension in Cebu City at dawn on Friday, August 25, 2017.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/ROBO FORMACION
Clogged drainage has caused the heavy flooding in Cebu City in the evening of Thursday and up to early morning on Friday, following heavy rain spawned by tropical storm “Jolina.”
Mayor Tomas Osmeña, in a news conference Friday, asked city residents to be patient as the flooding would be addressed once the several drainage projects that are being implemented in the city are completed.
He added that the bad habit of some residents who throw garbage into creeks, sewers and rivers is expected to be addressed by the city’s ongoing “Basura Mo, Sardinas Ko” project, which encourages city residents, especially those living near creeks and rivers, to exchange their bags of garbage for cans of sardines.
“Let us give consideration. There should be additional benefits. We will actually remove the garbage with the help of the residents,” he said, referring to the “Basura Mo, Sardinas Ko” project as a means to reduce the need to engage in costly drainage projects.
He added: “So that we will not spend too much later on. The moment you collect all the garbage in the canal, maybe the amount of drainage we will build will be less. I promise it will be less. How much less? I don’t know. There is only one way to find out,” he said.