Thursday, August 23, 2007 Ask brys. to comment on drainage plan: advisers
THE Cebu City Hall consultants who were hired to come up with a comprehensive drainage master plan are asking the City’s help to “compel” barangays to submit their recommendations.
The consultants said that only a few of the 48 urban barangays that were sent copies of their detailed “flood mitigation and drainage study,” gave their comments months after.
While the consultants already fulfilled the contracted task of preparing the macroplan, the City Council told them last September to consult the barangays also.
Study
The City, in the second quarter of 2004, entered into a P13.6-million contract with Genson-TCGI-Woodfields-Spaces Joint Venture to study the City’s overall drainage system.
The study covered Cebu City’s 79,000-square-kilometer land area of 48 urban barangays, the North Reclamation Area, and the South Road Properties.
The firm already submitted the electronic files of the topographic and other surveys in relation to the plan last year.
The environment and infrastructure committees of the City Development Council (CDC) have reviewed the plan, while the City Council conducted weekly hearings.
City Planning and Development Officer Nigel Paul Villarete earlier said the CDC will schedule the prioritization of drainage projects.
No one, however, knows when the actual implementation can start, because the two-phase plan needs at least P1 billion to be implemented.
In a letter dated Aug. 15 to Vice Mayor Michael Rama, Pedro Adonis D. Compendio of Spaces said that except for Lahug, they already distributed the detailed plans that he and engineer Vito Genson of JV Consultants sent to the barangays last year.
“We also did the micro plans (barangay level planning) per instruction of the City Council,” Compendio said.
But based on the status report attached to his letter, only Barangays Sawang Calero, Parian, Quiot, and Basak-Pardo sent their recommendations and positions on the plan.
“We feel your office can compel the barangays to finally submit their part of the plan through the City Engineer’s or City Planning and Development offices. I personally can help monitor and assist…in finalizing them (barangay plans),” Compendio’s letter read. (RHM)
