Tabac bares upland flooding risks, presses developers to finish drainage system

The heavy downpour of Typhoon Basyang has exposed a familiar fault line in Cagayan de Oro’s upland development – the rainwater sends surface runoff downhill, and it puts residents in low-lying communities at risk.

Councilor Marlo Tabac brought to the plenary how the worsening weather conditions continue to overwhelm drainage facilities and even natural waterways to hold huge volumes of water whenever it rains.

In his special report, Tabac explained that water from higher elevations funnels towards residential areas, bearing the brunt of excessive water, an impact he linked to the stalled housing projects in Barangays Puerto and Agusan.

With this, he called on the immediate action of A Brown Company to complete an unfinished drainage project as it poses dangers to Puroks 3, 4, and 5 in Barangay Puerto.

Councilor Tabac, in his capacity as Liga ng mga Barangay President, likewise demanded Vilmero, Cebu Landmasters Inc., Mangoville Subdivision, Crest New, and several other developers operating in Barangay Agusan to submit their drainage master plans to shed light on the final discharge points of runoff, so that a similar landslide incident which caused to four fatalities in Zone 2 would never happen again.

The relocation of the affected families from the flood and landslide-prone zones is also an imperative, he further remarked.  

As water finds its way down, Tabac hopes that it will not carry disaster along with it.

Vice Mayor Bebot Rodriguez, presiding officer of the 21^st City Council, referred his concern to the committees on public works, on subdivision and landed estate, on urban and rural poor, and on barangay affairs for further investigation. (FDC/SP)