Garganera to lobby for dredging projects

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera vowed to prioritize the dredging projects in a bid to address the city’s flooding dilemma after he took his oath of office yesterday.

The massive dredging of rivers and other waterways is one of Garganera’s priority programs.

"We will not be able to use the maximum capacity of our rivers because it's getting narrower and shallower. The only way to do that is to dredge" he said.

Garganera was sworn in by Mayor Edgardo Labella.

Once seated at the City Council, the councilor said, he will start his work with the reintroduction of resolutions, which he introduced in the previous council but were junked, including the active campaign against river restoration.

Aside from river dredging and restoration, Garganera also wants to focus on the preservation of the city’s heritage sites and on the restoration of sidewalks.

Garganera said he would lobby these programs even if he would not be given a committee chairmanship at the council.

Garganera will formally join the City Council on Tuesday, July 23.

Garganera, who ended on the 10th spot in the May 13 midterm elections, will take Councilor Sisinio Andales’ place in the council as the 8th councilor of the North District.

Andales’ candidacy was cancelled by the poll body for violation of the three-term limit.

The Commission on Election En Banc recently affirmed the decision of the Comelec Second Division to disqualify Andales favoring the complaint of Allen Canoy that Andales could no longer run for another term following his three consecutive terms as councilor from 2010 to 2019.

Councilor Jerry Guardo, the 9th placer in the polls, recently replaced former Councilor Alvin Arcilla after the latter met the same fate as Andales before the start of term on July 1. — Jebert A. Sarsonas, CNU Intern/KBQ (FREEMAN)