City Council calls for comprehensive drainage master plan for Cebu

As the rainy season sets in, flooding of Cebu City’s streets is seen as a major problem. CDN FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Cebu City Council will examine the drainage master plan of the city as the rainy season sets in and will most likely lead to flooding problems in the lowland barangays.

At the first regular session of the 15th Sangguniang Panglungsod on Tuesday, July 9, Cebu City Councilor Antonio Cuenco raised the city’s flooding problem during his privilege speech.

He suggested various ways to prevent flooding such as prohibiting sari-sari stores from using plastic items, implementing community clean-ups for clogged canals, and fixing broken footpaths or sidewalks to ensure that the public has places to walk on when flooding happens in certain areas.

Cuenco urged the barangays to report to the city government the flood-prone areas in their respective localities so these issues can be addressed by the Department of Public Services (DPS).

“I know that these remedies are temporary but it is better (to do these) than doing nothing at all,” said Cuenco.

Cuenco is also asking the council to allot P20 million for these drainage solutions.

However, Councilor Raymond Garcia, chairman of the Committee on Budget and Finance, said the amount is a large sum and the release will entail waiting over a longer period of time for the supplemental budget that Mayor Edgardo Labella will request from the city council.

Cuenco’s speech led the council to seek for ways to address the problem and look into the drainage solutions of the city’s past administrations.

Councilor Philip Zafra called for an executive session to review all drainage plans, whether implemented or cancelled, of the previous administration in order to identify which of these plans can solve the city’s flood problems.

Councilors Dave Tumulak and Jerry Guardo urged the council to look into the drainage plan that has been allocated with a budget by the previous council for the year 2019.

Both councilors called for the review of the plan and “tweak” it to fit current needs and requirements.

The executive session to review the drainage plans is set on July 23.

The City Council, through a motion proposed by Councilor Nestor Archival, also urged the city government to review the implementation of an ordinance, which tasked the Office of the Building Official (OBO) to make rainwater collecting basins or sheds a requirement for establishments.

This mechanism will ensure that rainwater can be recycled and can be utilized in other useful means.

The OBO is required to give a feedback on its implementation within 20 days after complying with the City Council’s request.

Vice Mayor Michael “Mike” Rama, who presided the session, said the council is off to a great start as the councilors’ active participation in the discussion indicates that they were inspired by Cuenco’s call to help find solutions to the city’s problems.

Rama said this will hasten the accomplishment of one of Mayor Labella’s goals for the city: to solve the flooding problem. / celr