ANGELES CITY -- A councilor in this city has appealed to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the immediate repair of Taug Dike.

Councilor Jesus “Jay” Sangil said Thursday the dike should be repaired immediately to protect several villages at the central and eastern part of this city.

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Sangil urged the DPWH to make necessary engineering intervention to rehabilitate the dike.

He also asked the City Government to appropriate a portion of the P15 million-calamity fund recently earmarked by the City Council for the repair of the dike.

“Save the first and last defense of Angeles City (Taug Dike) from massive floodings,” Sangil said.

He stressed that the issue concerns all of the Angeleños. “Let’s join hands here sans political boundaries,” he said.

Sangil also appealed to Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno to prioritize the problem in order to save millions worth of properties and thousands of lives.

“An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure,” he said.

Village chairmen, including Arthur Candelaria of Barangay Cuayan, Lito Ganzon of Barangay Anunas, and Robert Yeen of Barangay Salapungan, brought up this concern with the Angeles City Disaster Coordinating Council (ACDCC) during a recent disaster meeting at Shanghai Restaurant here.

Floodwaters may enter the city and other villages lying along the Sapang Balen Creek if the Taug spills during heavy rains.

They said that massive destruction is imminent unless the dike is rehabilitated.

“We have to act swiftly. We don’t need to experience the worse. We have seen it during the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. The city was totally devastated when the Taug dike was breached,” Sangil said.