DPWH: Squatters hamper dredging of Dungon creek
It’s now the turn of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to also ask from the city government their cooperation so they could speed up the dredging of Dungon creek.
DPWH regional office has requested the city government to hasten the relocation of some 600 informal settlers living along the waterways covered by the dredging works. The presence of the families along the creeks will hamper the implementation of the dredging activities.
DPWH-6 director Rolando Asis said the contractor could not start the dredging works if there are still houses along the creek. He said they are set to meet with Mayor Jerry Treñas to discuss the details on the implementation of the dredging works starting from Magsaysay Village until Dungon B in Jaro. The refusal of the families to vacate the creeks will delay the project, Asis said.
Last Wednesday the Sangguniang Panglungsod, through the prodding of Mayor Treñas, passed a resolution urging the DPWH to fast track the dredging of Dungon creek.
The dredging works will affect several barangays and number of families. The city government through the Iloilo City Urban Poor and Affairs Office (ICUPAO) has already identified the affected families. In the initial meetings with those identified families, some are hesitant to transfer to the relocation sites. There are families who viewed their transfer to the relocation sites as disadvantageous on their part considering their capacity to earn a living.
While, there are others who refused to accept the offer for fear that they will be transferred in relocation sites which are also flooded. There are relocation sites in the city such as in Sooc, Mandurriao which have no drainage system. Families in the low-lying portions of the relocation sites also suffer when heavy rains hit Iloilo City.
The contract for the dredging work was won by WT, a Cebu-based contractor. The contractor was already given the notice to proceed with the works. The presence of families along the creeks and the bad weather are two grounds seen by the public works which could affect the implementation of the project which is deemed vital in solving the flooding in the city particularly in the district of Jaro. The district of Jaro has the most number of affected families during Typhoon Frank. Most of those are living in the creeks and waterways which are deemed dangerous.
Asis offered trucks for the use of families who wish to transfer to the relocation site offered by the city government to the affected families. The department has available trucks to cater the needs of families who want to move to the relocation site. The transferring families can load their belongings to the relocation sites using the DPWH trucks.
The funding for the dredging is sourced out from the 2009 calamity fund of the department of public works and the city’s task is the relocation of affected families. The dredging of the Dungon creek is one of the priority projects in Panay included in the P481 million allotted by the national government after the Paglaum Fund which was meant for the rehabilitation and construction of infrastructure projects destroyed by Typhoon Frank. The fund covers the construction and rehabilitation of several bridges.