Mayor warns of demolition of 2 houses in Sapangdaku

HOUSES along the Guadalupe River in Barangay Sapangdaku will have to be demolished, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said, after seeing the danger that residents face if another flashflood occurs.

After visiting the flooded area in the mountain barangay yesterday morning, Rama said that at least two houses might have to be demolished immediately.

The mayor instructed the Department of Public Works and Highways to speed up the construction of the bridge, which Sapangdaku residents blamed for the flood last Saturday.

He also instructed the Department of Social Welfare and Services to assess what assistance the affected families will need, and to facilitate the release of the financial aid from the City’s calamity funds.

Meeting

“I gave them a warning that their houses may need to be demolished, also so that the construction of the bridge could proceed smoothly,” Rama said yesterday.

The mayor checked on the situation in Sapangdaku as mountain barangay officials attended the consultative meeting for the City’s 2013 budget at the Cebu Grand Convention Center yesterday morning.

The barangay captains raised, among others, the need to include funds for drainage and flood control projects, waste management and disaster preparedness in the 2013 annual budget.

They also asked the City’s executive department to fund the maintenance of barangay-owned vehicles, including garbage trucks.

Priorities

The proposals of the barangay officials and other sectors will be referred to the Local Finance Committee for evaluation, to determine what projects will be prioritized.

In his news conference yesterday, Rama said the bridge in Sapangdaku will have to be finished immediately since it causes inconvenience.

Some culverts in the area were demolished to make way for the construction of the new bridge that will connect Sapangdaku to Guadalupe.

Last Saturday, the water from the river reportedly overflowed and flooded some houses, since the culverts obstructed the flow of the water.

“All the more reason to proceed with the project. That bridge has to be attended to.

Now we have learned our lesson kay nanggawas ng ingon anang klase nga projects na wala niagi namo(These problems are caused by projects that did not go through our approval),” Rama lamented.