Solve water problems first before ‘Great Wall’

ORMOC CITY, Philippines –  Oliver Cam, private sector representative of the Regional Development Council-Region 8, appealed to its chairman, Leyte Governor Dominic Petilla to consider putting a water system in Tacloban City and a port in Babatngon, Leyte first before building the P7.9-billion “tidal embankment,” which Mayor Alfred Romualdez called “The Great Wall of Tacloban.”

The “Great Wall” project is already implementable, and Cam said he could not understand why the national government deemed it more of a priority, than addressing Tacloban’s water problems, and putting up the Babatngon Port that could spur growth and business in the province.

Cam however clarified to The FREEMAN he was not against the “Great Wall” project, but it should have come bundled with the basic needs of the area.

“It is a ‘nice to have a project, but if the national government found P 7.9-billion for the tidal embankment, can they not find a few billions more to put a water system in Tacloban down to Babatngon to construct a port and put up an industrial center next to it?” he asked.

Cam said he felt these projects, which he proposed to the RDC-8 last July, were most needed than the “Great Wall.” But he lamented that in the Tacloban Recovery Plan, the water problem was only listed number 3 or 4 in the government’s priority list.

Tacloban’s water problem is compounded with the relocation of thousands of coastal residents to the northern barangays, where there is no existing water system, Cam added.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Eastern Visayas also planned to step in, and will be writing President Benigno Aquino III about their concerns on these projects, including the lack of stable water supply in Tacloban and lack of a viable port, necessary for business activities.

Petilla, for his part, said the “Great Wall”, spanning across the coastal areas of Tacloban, and the towns of Palo and Tanauan—three areas badly hit by Yolanda’s storm surge—is now “already implementable,” with P300 million fund already approved for implementation soon.

The governor said Cam’s concerns were “valid,” but the government would solve these concerns “separately.” He also believed the “Great Wall” was also important to protect residents from future storm surges and land loss, “because the sea level is rising. I think this is an opportunity, because there is the JICA study and the funding is already there.”

Petilla said the tidal embankment was already on the planning board before the problem of supplying water to relocation areas arose, and in putting up the Babatngon port, he said it was easier said than done.

“We need technical studies and I have already written GTZ about it. They are helping us with the Binahaan River project, and they have technical people, engineers … they have the expertise. We cannot just simply put up a port. We need the help of experts,” the governor added.