SP defers declaration of city under state of imminent danger
For the second time, the Sangguniang Panlungsod deferred the approval of a resolution declaring Iloilo City under the state of imminent danger of a calamity. The non-approval prevents the chief executive from spending the proposed P4.5 million calamity fund.
Majority Floor leader Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo said the members of the legislative body particularly the opposition councilors want to get additional facts and figures from the different stakeholders.
Councilor Jeffrey Ganzon, chair of the committee on social services and disaster relief, asked the council for additional time in coming up with recommendation in last Wednesday’s regular session. Ganzon’s committee will hold a consultative meeting on March 5.
The council has given Ganzon’s committee time to study the possibility of declaring the city under the state of imminent danger of a calamity proposed by Iloilo City Disaster Coordinating Council (IDCC).
In an interview over DySI Super Radyo, Peñaredondo lamented that the report provided by the Metro Iloilo Water District to the members of the council discussing the current state of the water problem in the city and the ongoing water rationing did not convince the members of the council in declaring the city under the state of the imminent danger of a calamity.
He said in next week’s regular session they are going to decide on whether the city should be declared under the state of imminent danger of a calamity though the division of the house. This will once again divide the pro-administration and opposition councilors.
Though, the Local Government Code is specific in declaring the area under the state of calamity but the declaration is more of a “precautionary measure.” There is indeed no part of the Code which tackles on declaration using the term under the state of imminent danger. Yet, the city should prepare, said Peñaredondo.
It is a fallacy to say that there is water shortage problem in the city. Even water in wells dropped. The capacity of water coming from jetmatic pumps also decreased. It is impossible for a city residence not to feel the water problem, said Peñaredondo.
Peñaredondo said the P4.5 million calamity budget proposed by Mayor Jerry Treñas will be spent in the procurement of water storage tanks for the use of different barangays. The water collected from the water treatment tanks would be stored in water storage containers.
The city has two water treatment plants to produce clean and potable water. The water treatment plants were donated by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation to the city was badly hit by Typhoon Frank in 2008, said Peñaredondo.
The water treatment plant from Spain is only for purification process. It can produce considerable volume of water every hour. The equipment could not process water from rivers as it does not have a reverse osmosis capacity.
