Oro has drainage master plan

Letter .

I AM sending you the statements issued by City Engineer Rolando M. Pacuribot who gave his explanations as to the veracity and accuracy of the news item: “Pacuribot: Oro has no master drainage plan,” which was published in your paper on Aug. 13, 2018.

His contentions are as follows:

“During the City Council meeting held last August 9, 2018, I explicitly told the body that when City Mayor Oscar S. Moreno assumed office in 2013, the local government of Cagayan de Oro City has no Drainage Master Plan. As a result, the Honorable City Mayor wrote to the DPWH to help make a Comprehensive Drainage Plan for the city. In return, the DPWH commissioned the services and expertise of UP Planades, an experts in the field, to conduct a study. A meeting was then organized composing a group of academes, public and private sector, private companies like Cepalco, Cowd, and telecommunications companies were tapped to tackle on this major concern. In fact, Local Economic and Investment Promotions Officer Ms. Eileen San Juan was designated as the City Government’s focal person. The group came up with its Final Report entitled: MASTERPLAN AND FEASIBILITY STUDY OF URBAN DRAINAGE AND IMPROVEMENT OF RELATED WORKS IN CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY which came out last August 2016. Eventually, this study is now serving as the basis in the implementation of major drainage projects in the city’s flood prone areas, particularly Bitan-ag Creek, Sapang Creek, Kolambog, Lapasan Creek, NHA Kauswagan Creek and Gumamela, Carmen, which are presently undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

To connect with the DPWH’s main drainage system projects, the City Government has re-designed existing city drainage system and rehabilitation projects.

Some of these projects are:

1. Alae Flood Control – P20,000,000.00
2. Agusan Flood Control -P6,000,000.00
3. Umalag River Bank Protection (Tablon Side) – P6,500,000.00
4. Construction of Agusan Flood Control (Tablon) – P40,000,000.00
5. Construction of Bigaan River Protection – P15,000,000.00
6. Construction of Seal Wall Grouted Riprap for Zone 8, Cugman – P3,000,000.00
7. Construction of River Bank Protection (Tablon Section) – P6,500,000.00
8. Construction of Cugman River Bank Protection Structure Cugman Section – P13,600,000.00
9. Construction of Dagong Creek Main Drain Upstream Carmen – P3,000,000.00
10. Construction of Mindulog Creek Bank Protection (Puerto) – P3,000,000.00
11. Construction of Lutheran Relocation Site Main Drain (Canitoan) – P2,500,000.00
12. Construction of Agusan River Bank Protection Structure (Agusan Section) – P7,640,000.00
13. Construction of Agusan River Bank Protection Structure (Tablon Section) – P5,760,000.00
14. Construction of Bank Protection along Iponan Iponan River, Benone-Tuburan Section – P4,000,000.00
15. Construction of Bank Protection structure Iponan River Benoni (Tuburan Section) – P14,000,000.00

Tota:  P156,500,000.00

Indeed, this manifests that we (city) have a Drainage Master Plan which I reiterated during the City Council meeting, contrary to what is reported by Mr. Lito Rulona.

I am hoping that the explanations given by Engr. Pacuribot will put the said news report in proper context.

Thank you very much. –Maricel C, Rivera, OIC, City Information Officer