Cebu City Legal Office forms team for Kinasang-an flooding

Flooding in one of the houses in Sitio Paradise 3, Kinasang-an, Cebu City. CDN Digital photo | Raul Tabanao

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Cebu City Legal Office (CLO) is forming a team of three lawyers to look into the long-time flooding issue in Sitio Paradise 3 in Barangay Kinasangan here. 

City Legal Officer Rey Gealon told CDN Digital that they are looking into the possibility of expropriating the privately owned areas that would be traversed by the drainage project.

The city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) sought for the help of the CLO to settle issues surrounding the construction of a drainage system at Paradise 3 for the long term solution of their flooding problem. 

Read: Cebu City DEPW seeks City Legal’s help to solve Kinasang-an flooding

The project would hit private properties and the owners have opposed the drainage project. 

“The Mayor has his eyes set on solving the decade-long flooding problem in that part of Kinasang-an, Pardo. The primordial consideration is the greater good. Mayor Edgardo Labella does not want the people to suffer any longer,” he said. 

Sitio Paradise 3 has been submerged in flood for more than three months since the rainy season began. 

Residents have been complaining on the foul smell and diseases such as dengue and leptospirosis because of the persistent flood. 

A drainage project was already approved in the previous administration, but since it was suspended, the DEPW  waited for the new funding as the price of the materials may have changed over the years. 

The Program of Works and Estimates (POWE) for the project is awaiting approval of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC). /bmjo