Cebu City struggling with floods, says Garcia

CEBU CITY — Only 20 percent of a 20-year-old comprehensive drainage master plan has been implemented here, according to Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia.

“We are already doing a lot of things... it’s not an overnight solution. The volume of rain has tripled but our existing drainage system is still in the 90s, many years back,” Garcia told the DAILY TRIBUNE.

The city is eyeing a “master drainage plan” that could cost billions of pesos, he said. The plan includes building gabion dams in upland areas to control water flow and reduce flooding risk.

The 2004 drainage master plan aimed to restore major waterways to their original depth, width, and length. Targeted rivers included Bulacao, Guadalupe, Hipodromo, Kinalumsan, Lahug, Linao, Parian, Subangdaku and Tejero.

Recent flooding in Metro Manila and Luzon has heightened concerns about Cebu City’s flood preparedness. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has cited the implementation of more than 5,500 flood control projects nationwide.

Garcia said his office is negotiating with the National Irrigation Administration for a possible P1 billion impounding dam in Lusaran. He is also discussing a similar project with Metropolitan Cebu Water District Chairman Jose Daluz III on a 3-hectare site at the Family Park in Banilad. Daluz estimated the cost at P300 million.

Garcia proposed a phased funding approach of P100 million for each phase.

The Unified Project Management Office-Flood Control Management Cluster said about P8.2 billion is needed to complete various river projects. As of January, at least 18 projects remained unimplemented under this budget.