A drainage cleanup ordered by Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival in Barangays Pasil and Suba uncovered a massive buildup that reduced a two-meter-deep canal's water passage to about an inch in some portions.
The operation hauled away three dump truckloads of garbage, used six tankers, and removed around 30,000 units of accumulated material to address a recurring flooding problem affecting residents for nearly two decades.
Chief of Staff Kenneth Siasar defended Archival against online criticism labeling him a "micromanager" for personally monitoring operations, stating the mayor's hands-on field presence aimed to find long-term solutions.
A DRAINAGE cleanup ordered by Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival in Barangays Pasil and Suba uncovered a massive buildup of accumulated material that had reduced water passage in parts of the canal, helping explain recurring flooding in the area.
The discovery came as Archival faced online criticism describing him as a “micromanager” for personally monitoring city operations and joining field activities.
Chief of Staff Kenneth Siasar said the mayor’s hands-on approach allowed the city to see firsthand a drainage problem that had affected residents for nearly two decades.
Siasar said Archival instructed the cleanup team not only to clear the drainage but also to document what they found so residents could understand why the area floods.
“Kenneth, let’s take a video so people will know the reason for the flood,” Siasar quoted Archival as saying in Cebuano.
The cleanup revealed that a canal about two meters deep had accumulated so much material that the opening available for water flow had been reduced to only around an inch in some portions, Siasar said.
Six tankers were used to remove the accumulated material, while three dump truckloads of garbage were hauled away. The operation also removed around 30,000 units of accumulated material, he said.
Siasar said the extent of the buildup showed that the flooding problem could not be addressed simply by clearing the area whenever water overflowed.
Instead, the cleanup sought to identify and address the underlying cause of the recurring flooding, he said.
Siasar said this was why he did not consider Archival’s involvement as micromanagement.
“He is a kind of person who wants to know what’s going on in his surroundings,” Siasar said.
Siasar said there is a distinction between closely monitoring an operation and taking over the work of personnel assigned to it.
“The public perceives it as micromanagement but that was a long-term solution already for the people residing in that area,” Siasar said.
Photos of Archival personally sweeping during the cleanup circulated online, prompting some users to question his involvement in the day-to-day work of city personnel.
Siasar said the mayor’s field presence was intended to ensure that city interventions addressed the actual problems faced by residents.
The drainage cleanup, he said, demonstrated the value of going to the field instead of relying solely on reports, as the operation exposed an infrastructure problem that had apparently remained unresolved for years.
Siasar said the administration would focus on long-term solutions to recurring problems such as flooding rather than simply responding after incidents occur. / CAV