Council favors purchase over rent of dredging tools

CEBU, Philippines - Instead of renting, the Cebu City Council has preferred to purchase dredging equipment worth P32 million as a “long-term” solution to flooding.

Under the rental scheme, the city government is supposed to shell out P70 million.

The P32 million worth of dredging equipment would include long arm backhoe costing P6 million, crane with clamshell (P8 million) and swamp buggy operator (P18 million), as estimated by the Department of Engineering and Public Works.

In an executive session yesterday afternoon, city councilors said it would be a “waste of mo-ney” for the city to pursue renting the equipment meant for dredging and declogging creeks and  other tributaries.

“It’s better to buy than to rent, taking into consi-deration that the heavy equipment would be owned by the city for dredging maintenance purposes,” Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr. said.

Councilors Margarita Osmeña, Nestor Archival and Alvin Arcilla concurred to Gabuya’s statement.

Osmeña said owning the necessary equipment through purchase will help the city respond to disasters more quickly.

They were supposed to tap a local contractor to undertake the proposed P70 million dredging or de-silting projects in Estero Parian (P5 million), Lahug (P12.8 million),  Mahiga Creek  (P7.2 million), Tejero (P9.95 million), Guadalupe River (P17.2 million),  Kinalumsan River (P13.4 million)  and Tagunol waterway (P4.5 million).

Based on the proposal, DEPW allocated P35 million each for the city’s north and south districts pending the Program of Works and Estimates.

Engineer Joel Reston of DEPW said dredging has to be done immediately given the vulnerability of creeks filled with silts during heavy rains.

He said preventing tremendous flooding is a matter of doing river maintenance.

“Dredging or de-silting is a regular maintenance for our waterways. The silts accumulated over a period of time have greatly reduced the capacity of our rivers, which in effect has worsened the flooding problem,” Reston said.

Councilor Noel Wen-ceslao backed Reston, saying dredging of creeks is an immediate need while purchasing of equipment for the operation may take a longer process.

However, Osmeña said she does not consider the long process a barrier for the procurement plan, suggesting an “emergency purchase.”

For comprehensive drainage projects, the council also asked DEPW to make an “urgent” follow-up on the ordered pending walking excavator amounting to P20.5 million.                                   

The walking excavator will be used for dredging and other works because the spider-like heavy equipment is specifically designed for difficult operations such as in uneven or rough terrain.

The equipment can also be used in clearing operations for big buildings and objects in an earthquake-affected area.

Summit

Gabuya claimed that dredging is “useless and not a solution” to flooding if construction and rehabi-litation of culverts will not be implemented.

Mayor Michael Rama slammed Gabuya’s opinion.

“I would not believe in him because he is not a city engineer. I don’t want to (compel) that the solution (dredging) is the right thing but I want it resolved immediately.”

In line with this, a summit will be held on how to solve the city’s flooding problems.

“There would be a convergence of people to aid this problem because it would be better if there will be more heads suggesting for solutions,” Rama said. —/JMD (FREEMAN)