Navotas floodgate closed

MANILA, Philippines — The damaged Tangos-Tanza navigational gate in Navotas has been closed for repairs.

A three-day ban on the passage of vessels through the Tangos river channel has been requested by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and its contractor “to carry out maintenance and repair works” on the floodgate, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco posted yesterday on Facebook.

Contractors tasked with rehabilitating the floodgate are St. Timothy Construction Corp. and Anore Construction, according to a letter from DPWH Metro Manila director Gerard Opulencia.

St. Timothy is one of 15 contractors that cornered 20 percent of the P545-billion allocation for flood control projects nationwide since 2022.

Linked to the Discaya family in Pasig, the firm has been involved in numerous government infrastructure contracts. The Discayas say they have divested from the firm.

Another company of the Discayas is Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp., which is among the 15 contractors named by President Marcos.

The Navotas floodgate, damaged by a boat last year, failed to control the high tide amid heavy rains in June, displacing thousands of residents in Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas.