Massive flood

CEBU, Philippines — One of the major problems Cebu City continues to face is that of flooding and the downpour evening on Thursday, August 4, 2022, highlighted this problem anew.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said it only took a few hours of continuous rain to cover 60 percent of the city with floodwaters.

Flooding was observed in about 50 barangays in both the North and South Districts, mostly in the city’s urban areas, but the barangays most affected are in the south – Tagonol, Basak Pardo, Cogon Pardo, and Tisa.

“North and South gyud ang naigo labi na sa coastal area,” said CDRRMO’s Harold Alcontin.

Flooding occurred mostly in urban barangays.

No one died from the disaster but several shanties along the Kinalumsan River were washed away.

“Gamay injury ra katong naanod… walay reported fatality as of this morning sa command center caused by the heavy rain. Naa lay mga gipang-evacuate sa South… Sa North, naay reported collapsed structure pero dili ing-ana ka naay naigo nga mga tawo,” Alcontin said.

The man who was carried away by floodwaters was identified as Basil Bayloses. He lived with his family along the Kinalumsan River but was not able to leave their area right away as he was attempting to salvage what he could from their sari-sari store.

He was rescued after more than three hours.

“Ah, dugay kaayo sila naka-rescue uy, grabe! Ingon ka’g kapis tulo ka oras, didto na ko’s tunga dapit sa Ludo...tuay daplin di maagia’g baha, didto ko layat gyud ko, syagit gyud ko’g duro hangtud naay nakadungog, na-rescue ra gyud ko,” Bayloses tells MyTV Cebu.

His family was able to leave before the gush of floodwaters became strong.

“Wala ra sila naunsa kay nakalayat man sila didtos babay… abi nako’g nadala sila, wala man diay, nakalayat man diay,” Bayloses said.

Alcontin said personnel of CDRRMO, as well as barangay responders, were mobilized even before flooding started.

He said unfinished projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) along rivers have also contributed to the flooding problem.

He said he would recommend that DPWH put its own contingency plans in place in the event of heavy rains like on Thursday.

“Unta, naa silay contingency… mga tawo nila nga makadala og mga heavy equipment para maka drain sa water nga na-stock sa area,” he said.

He said it is also high time for the city government through its Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) to make an inventory of the city’s drainage system and upgrade them.

Alcontin also hopes that residents in the city will start segregating and disposing of their garbage properly. CDRRMO noted that mounds of trash that surfaced when flood became stronger, which reportedly made rescue efforts difficult.

Garbage

In line with the trash problem, the Department of Public Services in Cebu City is set to meet with barangay officials where the Guadalupe River passes through to talk about the city’s plan in addressing the garbage problem.

In a report by the city’s Public Information Office (PIO), bio-fences will be installed in different portions of the Guadalupe River to trap and prevent garbage from ending up in the coastal area.

Mayor Michael Rama called for a Zoom meeting attended by barangay officials to discuss the “unsightly mounds of garbage” floating in the coastal areas that are visible from the South Road Properties (SRP) viaduct.

Present during the meeting were barangay captains from Pasil, Ermita, Suba, and Sawang Calero.

In the said meeting, the officials from the coastal barangays complained that residents from other barangays at the river’s upstream portion also contribute to the piles of garbage in the coastal area.

“Ang mga basura dira, gikan man sa babaw. Bisan manglimpyo mi sa ubos, apan kung sa babaw aduna gihapoy hugaw modung sa ubos, useless ang atong trabaho,” said Ermita Barangay Captain Mark Miral.

Sawang Calero Barangay Captain Sergio Ocaña agreed, adding that they are the ones dealing with the garbage which are carelessly thrown to the river by the people at the upstream area.

Lawyer John Jigo Dacua, head of DPS, said that he will schedule a meeting with all barangays through which the Guadalupe River traverses to discuss possible solutions for the concern.

The Cebu Contractors Association (CCA), which was present in the meeting, vowed to assist the city by providing heavy equipment and in installing bio-fences.

Engr. Justin Go of the CCA said they can help design the bio-fences or nets that will entrap solid waste that float through the river.

Go agreed to the recommendation to install bio-fences both in the coastal areas and the upstream portion of the river.

He added that it is important to maintain it.

“Di man sad pwede magbuhat ta karon, nya way mo-maintain. Sayang kaayo,” Go said.

With this, Cebu City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team (CESET) Head Grace Luardo urged the barangay officials to enforce strictly the solid waste laws and to apprehend the people who throw their trash into the river.

Luardo said that the CESET can deputize barangay tanods and other personnel to legally apprehend violators and issue citation tickets to them. —Mary Ruth R. Malinao, Decemay P. Padilla /JMO (FREEMAN)