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Ben Contreras .

IT was our second courtesy call to Department of Public Works and Highways regional director Zenaida Tan to talk about our city’s flooding problem. This time, there were five of us led by Ralph Abragan, Eric Gogo, Chebong Guevara and Bong Turrecha. We were also joined by DPWH engineer Leowaldo Picore.

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There are good news and bad news. Let me start with the bad news.

We may have to bear with the current situation until the earliest is December, this year. Three major projects to address flooding in the city at a cost of P1.8 billion are encountering snags due to several factors.

These projects are, of course, divided into phases, and each phase seems to be encountering problems like road right of way, local government intervention and lack of cooperation and expropriation matters. Adding to these problems are facilities of communications services facilities like PLDT/Smart, Globe and Parasat that get in the way of their work. Another two are the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Co. and the Cagayan de Oro Water District.

Remember the delay on the work on that huge culvert at Kauswagan-Recto Avenue that would bring rainwater down to the river? The delay was caused by the facilities of the telecommunications firms (the optic fiber, in general) which the companies did not move as fast as possible.

DPWH has assured us that the job will soon continue if it has not started already and without any assurance from them when it would be finished.

The flooding on Recto Avenue (NUSP and LKKS portion) has caused a lot of problems already and DPWH has talked to the management of LKKS on how to mitigate the effect of flood. It is just unfortunate that after a thorough discussion with LKKS representatives, DPWH’s proposal was rejected by LKKS management top honcho despite the intervention of Rep. Maxie Rodriguez.

The work on the convention center also hit a snag. There seems to be a lot more problem with it than meets the eye. It also seems to be that the P350 million allocated for that and undertaken by Jejors won’t even be enough to complete the project as planned. Jejors was awarded the contract at a cost of P325 million.

I asked about it because in a FB conversation, Sen. Koko Pimentel was said to have promised P100 million more for the convention center project started by his father. I bet its completion has been compromised.

Let’s talk of the good side. There was actually a skyway connecting the Maharlika Bridge to the Puregold area in Lapasan, similar to that of Puerto’s. For whatever reason, it was overtaken by Dongkoy Emano’s hump-like skyway. It is now being considered for undertaking, and we hope it would be soon.

An expressway is also being planned that would span from Villanueva to Opol. Several skyways are also being considered.

I told Tan that I hope to live to see the expressway realized.

The garbage problem was also taken up. The DPWH has started declogging the drainage system under its jurisdiction.

The need to clear our waterways and get rid of illegal structures was also discussed. These are two problems which the local government is not addressing. Apparently, this requires political will. These are undertakings that offer less commissions unlike school buildings and road concreting, or even buying land for relocation.

So, Cagayan de Oro City, brace for more floods until December unless the Kagayanon are brave enough to tell our city officials to act correctly and fast.

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