Tom defends Mambaling officials on inaction yarn

Cebu Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday defended barangay Mambaling officials for their alleged inaction to the complaint of the residents of sitio Manggahan on the stagnant water in their area.

In his news conference yesterday, the mayor admitted the officials of barangay brought up the problem last year but the city failed to appreciate it until it rained hard that made the area flooded.

Osmeña also instructed the city engineering office to continue pumping out the water while he negotiates with the Go family to give them access to the private property for the bigger sewer inductor to have entry and drain the pond of water faster.

The personnel of the Department of Engineering and Public Works has started pumping out the water from the lagoon the other day but assistant city engineer Carmelita Kenneth Enriquez said the process may take several days because they are just using a water pump.

Enriquez said they can only bring in the bigger equipment once they have the permission of businessman Vincent Go, who is still in Canada, to let them enter his property.

“That’s not a problem. If I have to get his father sign, I’ll let his father sign. He is arriving anyway,” Osmeña said yesterday.

The mayor admitted that barangay captain Rudy Estella has long been asking for help but the city failed to respond immediately.

Estella earlier said that he has long requested help from City Hall and has sent several letters to city officials on the problem but no action was taken until last Wednesday.

“In fairness, it’s not the barangay captain’s fault. They have asked for assistance since last year but the problem was not appreciated as it is today, that if it rains it really clogged up,” Osmeña said.

He explained that that the previous barangay leader, who belongs to the opposition, did not pay attention to the residents’ complaints.

The mayor claimed that the lagoon was caused by the reclamation project of Vincent Go beside the Mambaling access of the South Road Properties.

“That time, the complaints on health are hypothetical but now it became actual so we do something about it,” Osmeña stressed.

Residents said that when it rains, they could not sleep because floodwaters reached as high as their houses’ floors because the reclamation prevents the water from flowing to the sea.  —Wenna A. Berondo/LPM