Councilor Jerry Guardo inspects the new drainage built in Barangay Labangon to serve four flood-stricken sitios.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Four sitios in Labangon have finally seen relief after suffering over two years of flooding, with the building of a drainage system in the area.
Resident of sitios Sto. Niño, La Tressas, Osmeña Drive, Cardones Compound, and Cabrera Compound no longer need to worry that when the rains come, floodwater will be another problem for them.
Grace Abella, one of the 2,000 residents of the four sitios, said that when the construction began in the private property owned by White Gold in 2020, their drainage was blocked.
The construction tried to provide a water outfall for the drainage from the sitios following complaints from the residents, but when heavy rains came, the water simply flowed back to the sitios because the outfall was too small.
The city government provided suction services to the sitios every time it rained, but this was not sustainable.
“Sa wala pa ni nila natrabaho, nagbutang ang city og equipment para masuyupan ang baha. Everytime magbaha, manawag nasad mi nila. Pero moabot gyod ang tubig sa kural, mosulod gyod,” said Abella.
With this, Councilor Jerry Guardo, the chairperson for infrastructure in the City Council, relayed to White Gold the request of the City Councilors that with their help, the city will build drainage passing through a corner of the property connecting the sitios’ drainage to N. Bacalso Avenue.
Guardo said the city government is very thankful to White Gold for cooperating with the city government as, after three weeks of construction, the two-culvert drainage has been completed.
“Nagpabuhat tag outfall aron naay lugar nga madrainan sa tubig, nya kami nalang sa syudad ang moconnect ani nga drainage sa N. Bacalso. Nalipay lang ko nituman gyod ang taga White Gold, nisupporta, nicooperate, and we also did our part,” said Guardo.
As of now, the four sitios no longer suffer extreme and long-lasting floods, although occasionally, the flood water still rises especially during heavy downpours.
Unlike before, though, the flood water dissipates shortly after the rain as the drainage is now connected to the main drainage in N. Bacalso Avenue.
Guardo said the Labangon project is one of the few projects the city government is conducting to improve the drainage system in the city.
He hopes that more private establishments would cooperate with the city government in ensuring that the nearby communities of large private projects are properly served with the basic needs such as proper drainage. /rcg
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