CARRETA barangay officials assured Sitio Negative residents that the flooding in their community will be addressed.

Barangay Captain Eduardo Lauron said yesterday that they are now coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the contractor to fix the drainage immediately.

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But the contractor took exception to the complaint that their project caused the flooding in the sitio, saying that they did not touch the drainage there when they worked on
the extension of the barangay hall.

Peter Muaña of Muaña Construction said he has asked his engineers to find out what is causing the flooding in Sitio Negative.

He said, though, that he cannot guarantee that they will shoulder the expenses in fixing the drainage because for him, they should not be blamed for it.

“Gipa-trace na na nako and based on the preliminary inspection, wala man mi naka-block sa drainage. Wala man gyud mi’y nahilabtan nga drainage system during the construction of the barangay hall. Dili pa ko kasulti ug kami ba mugasto sa pagpaayo kay gawas man na sa among kontrata,” Muaña said.

Muaña Construction is undertaking the extension of the Carreta barangay hall, which is a project of Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north district) with the DPWH 7 as the implementing agency.

He said he will consult DWPH about the matter.

Barangay secretary Merlita Mondejar assured them that they are facilitating the rehabilitation of the drainage, which was blocked, causing flooding at the back of the barangay hall.

“Our area has been flooded for the last two weeks. But the contractor merely told us that they will send people to work on it. Why should we not blame them when they covered the big hole where the water used to flow through?” she said.

Building

Lauron, for his part, said they might install a new drainage system. It will start from the back of the barangay hall, where the affected community is located, up to the building of the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD).

Lauron, however, said they still have to negotiate with the CCHD administration regarding the matter.

Their second option is to suck out the water in the area, he said.

“We still need to come up with a plan,” said Lauron.

Residents of Sitio Negative blame the flooding on the construction of the barangay hall extension.

Lauron, however, said the extension was finished last year, while the flooding just occurred recently. Something might have broken under the building, he said.

“The contractor already dug up the front of the hall where the manhole is, but there was no water. Maybe there was a cave-in under the extension building or a rock may have blocked the water’s passageway,” Lauron said in Bisaya.

As to the residents’ complaint that the barangay has done nothing to address the flooding, Lauron said they are looking for ways to solve the problem.

“Di to tinuod. Naa tay gibuhat, naa ta’y action para masulbad ang problema sa barrio (That’s not true. We’re doing something and we’re taking action to solve the problem in the barrio),” he said.

Contrary to reports, he said affected residents were not suffering from fever and diarrhea due to the stench of the floodwater.

Lauron said Sitio Negative is a big area and that only a portion has been affected by the flooding.