Monday’s rain flood three zones, relocation site in Mandaue City

LAST Monday’s rain flooded three zones or sitios in Barangay Pakna-an with more than a thousand homes in ankle-deep floodwater after the Butuanon River overflowed in the evening.

At the 6.5-hectare relocation site in Barangay Pakna-an, 40-year-old occupant Cecil Seno said last Monday’s rain marked the eighth time that their area had been flooded with rainwater, resulting in muddy terrain.

“Diha gyu’y baha nga wala mi sa among balay, nahumol gyud ang among mga appliances ug uban mga butang sa baha (There was once a flood here and if we’re not at home, our appliances and belongings are submerged in floodwater),” Seno said.

She and the officers of the homeowners’ association raised their concerns to the federation president more than a couple of years ago, but nothing has been done.

Seno said there was only a portion of Zone Talong along the river bank that needs to be dumped with filling materials to prevent the entry of floodwater, but it had not been acted on.

She said hundreds of settlers have reason to fear every time they hear of news of heavy rainfall in Cebu City’s mountain barangays or in Mandaue.

Seno said the Mandaue City government promised a budget for the riprapping and the road concreting of the area as well as the dredging of the Butuanon River.

Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing said there was a pilot project to rehabilitate a kilometer stretch of Butuanon River from Pacific Mall to Camboagaong Bridge in Barangay Pakna-an.

But he said there’s no more budget to rehabilitate the rest of the river where the affected zones were located.