QC steps up declogging of canals, waterways

The Quezon City government has intensified the declogging of canals, waterways in a bid to further reduce flooding during the rainy seasons.

Acting Mayor Herbert Bautista said the "Sagip Batis" program, a massive clean-up operation to clear the city’s creeks and other waterways, is currently being carried out by the city government and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Bautista said that there was a significant drop in the number of flood prone areas last year when the Sagip Batis was jointly launched by the city government and the MMDA.

"To sustain the effort, the city government’s engineering department as well as the environmental protection and waste management offices have been directed to continue their current operations to ensure the free flow of run-off rainwater," he said.

He enjoined the engineering office to provide heavy equipment to complement the clean-up being undertaken by Sagip Batis volunteers

The city government has mobilized 1,000 volunteers, mostly residents along the riverside, for the program.

Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the project manifests the city government determined efforts to bring the waterways back to life as well as inspire output of volunteerism among city residents.

War vs Prostitution

The local government of Quezon City has embarked on a no-nonsense saturation drive against prostitution and vagrancy in a bid to lessen the danger of being infected with sex-related diseases as well as put a stop to the wearing down of public morals.

Bautista said the action calls for, among others, the conduct of routine and relentless patrolling of the city’s major thoroughfares where the so-called sex workers are said to be rampant.

It has been widely reported that a large number of prostitutes, whether male or female, continues to ply their illegal trade along major thoroughfares of the city like Quezon Boulevard and Aurora Boulevard.

Their presence, according to Bautista, poses grave threats to public health and increases the risk of contracting sexually transmissible diseases (STDs), the erosion and public morals and violation of existing laws, ordinances and regulations against prostitution and vagrancy.

Bautista instructed the Central Police District Command under Police Superintendent Oscar Mariñas, and the Quezon City Hall Detachment under Police Superintendent Elmo San Diego, to make the rounds along identified "pick-up points" of the sex workers, take them into custody and file appropriate charges.

He has also enjoined Mariñas and San Diego to submit regular progress and status report on the matter.– Perseus Echeminada