Cebu City eyes study for P15M: Master plan for drainage

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government is looking at commissioning a study in 2025 for a drainage master plan to address flooding, setting aside P10 million to P15 million for the project.

In an interview with reporters yesterday, Garcia said he has been meeting several times already with Dr. Danilo Jaque, the City’s Task Force Gubat sa Baha consultant, to discuss the creation of the master plan.

He had always said that the city’s current drainage system is outdated and is no longer efficient.

He said there were various proposals for a drainage master plan before but such were no longer aligned with the current design of the city.

"Kaning atong mga ginagmay nga mga drainage projects all over the city mas conformed unta to our drainage master plan, pero karon nag individual, nag independent naan gud sila mga pag trabaho," he said.

Garcia was referring to the drainage projects initiated by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the city government to mitigate flooding in the city. He said they are studying to align all these projects to the drainage master plan.

As this will go through the list of procurement processes, Garcia said they are setting the budget for the study from P10 million to P15 million for inclusion in the 2025 annual budget

"I will include it pa in the project for 2025, unless I can find a budget for 2024, asa nako ma-charge," said Garcia.

Previously, it was reported that there has been a drainage master plan that was mapped out.

Last January 24, an executive session was conducted wherein it was found out that there is a need for a funding requirement of P8.2 billion for a master plan drainage proposal for Cebu City whose breakdown includes four ongoing projects.

Among those projects that were ongoing was the Lahug River Improvement whose budget is equivalent to at least P573 million; Guadalupe River Improvement with at least P700 million budget; Kinalumsan River Improvement whose budget is at P614 million, and the Bulacao River Improvement whose budget is at P1.2 billion.

Garcia said that with this one, its scope includes the whole system for Cebu City. He added that all these drainage systems will be integrated into one master plan.

The Task Force, on the other hand, is in the process of studying comprehensive flood mitigating measures in the city, with a budget of around P1 billion.

Ret. Col. Jefferson Omandam, Task Force river commander, said this has been their assessment following their series of studies to get to know the flood-prone areas, including their corresponding solutions.

As a whole, Omandam said the most prevalent intervention that they have come up with involved engineering intervention, hence a drainage master plan.

He, however, said that the P1-billion budget proposal is intended for the overall flood mitigating programs. He added that the DPWH has also projects separate from theirs that focus mainly on the drainage master plan.

The DPWH has set aside a P2-billion sum intended for the “major” infrastructures to mitigate flooding in Cebu City.

It was reported that City Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the City Council committee on infrastructure, said that this amount is for the Program of Works and Estimates (POWE) for the flood control projects in the city for 2025.

Omandam also said that they will be gradually implementing these projects according to the availability of funds based on their proposed budget.

He said they would not just only be updating the drainage master plan but also addressing its sources which includes the creation of gabion dams.

He added that the P10 million to P15 million is for the study.  As a whole, Omandam said they are at the studying and designing phase.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Council wants an investigation into the alleged lack of a drainage system in Alta Vista Subdivision, causing flooding within the vicinity of Barangay Pardo.

This came after the privilege speech of Guardo during the regular session last Wednesday.

According to him, it has come to his attention regarding the flood situation in the Pardo vicinity even with the most moderate rain due to a “lack or no drainage system at all” within the subdivision, whose developer is Sta. Lucia Realty and Development, Inc.

It was last May 31, that an endorsement letter was forwarded to his office requesting comments and recommendations as to the drainage tapping permit of the said subdivision.

The attached Inspection Report of the Office of the Building Official, however, stated that "... it was observed that there were no facilities for rainwater catchment/materials recovery and wastewater treatment facilities” in the subdivision’s plan.

Further, it was also observed that the existing drainage canal for run-off water along the road of the subdivision was not connected to the city drainage and that the water outfall of the subdivision drainage was in an open area.

Guardo said it was last June 3 when he called for a conference meeting attended by the president of the subdivision’s homeowners’ association (HOA).

“During this meeting, it was elucidated…that Alta Vista Subdivision has few manholes with covers but the shocking truth is that there is no drainage system being built within the subdivision,” Guardo said.

He said that the manholes have “no drainage system connected therewith, instead, it is just for display.”

“In essence, Sta. Lucia Realty Development, Inc. is not compliant with its mandate to provide the homeowners with all these amenities within the subdivision, including the drainage system that would connect to the city's drainage system. Instead, these runoff waters would go downstream reaching the Pardo area, which would worsen the flooding,” Guardo said.

Further, Guardo disclosed that the TIC Secretariat had retrieved all its files and applications but had not come across the application of Sta. Lucia Realty and Development, Inc., for its project, Alta Vista Estate Subdivision, Brgy. Pardo, Cebu City.

With this, the City Council has approved the conduct of an executive session and invited the said subdivision’s HOA, Santa Lucia Realty and Development Inc., DEPW through Engr. Lilibeth Del Mar, and the Office of the Building Official (OBO).

Likewise, the city council also approved the request for the executive department to create a Technical Working Group comprising representatives from DEPW, OBO, CPDO, and CCDRRMO to conduct an ocular inspection prioritizing upland development to check if developers are compliant with the approved subdivision plans submitted to CPDO.

In a statement released to The Freeman, Sta. Lucia Cebu management said they “will provide our response thereto in an appropriate forum.” — (FREEMAN)