Mandaue City gov’t asks residents near rivers to be vigilant, cooperate when told to evacuate

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu—The Mandaue City government is asking residents living near rivers to be vigilant and to cooperate if asked to evacuate when there is a heavy downpour.

Lawyer John Eddu Ibañez, the executive secretary of Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, made this appeal after heavy rain caused several flooding in areas near the Butuanon River on Sunday, October 4, 2020.

Read: Boy hurt; over 400 houses flooded in Mandaue City

“Ang hanyo lang gyud namo, ni mayor, sa atong mga kaigsu-unan, nga kung mo call na gani for evacuation due to rising waters sa atong mga rivers, dili ta magdugay-dugay. Kung mu-ingon na gani atong DRRMO (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office) nga mo evacuate na ta, dili gyud nato unya-unyaon ug musunod gyud ta sa lagda nga gipatuman,” Ibañez said.

(Our appeal with the mayor to the public is that if there is a call for evacuation due to rising waters in our rivers, let’s not waste time. If the DRRMO says we have to evacuate, let’s not waste time. Let’s do what is instructed to us.)

Ibañez said there are already flood control projects that are funded by the national government and by the city that are lined up such as the building of retaining walls. But the pandemic caused delays in the implementation of these projects.

A Department of Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) memorandum prohibits the demolition and clearing of informal settlers, which means some areas of the rivers where settlers are present couldn’t be worked on yet. 

“Sa pagkakarun, medyo na delay tungod sa memorandum. Pero sa katung lugar nga wala nay informal settlers, gisugdan nato siya.”, he said.

(As of now, there is a delay because of the memorandum. But the part where there are no informal settlers, we already started the work there.)

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is working on the project.

Other projects are desilting of the river and the creation of an outfall diversion. /bmjo