CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Two former local government officials in the province are calling for a thorough investigation on the collapse of some parts of the P91-million flood control project in Barangay Candating, Arayat town.
On August 17, 2024, at least 30 meters of the said flood control project settled, causing alarm among residents about the safety of other structures along the river.
Former Arayat Vice Mayor Sixto “Pogi” Mallari Jr., during a recent meeting with members of the Central Luzon Media Association Pampanga, stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the quality of work carried out on the critical infrastructure project.
“Actually ‘yung pondong ‘yun, hiningi po ni mayora through a Senator at ‘yung pondo bumaba sa DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways] at hindi dumaan sa local government. So ang gawa po noon is national. So recently, although alam naman natin pa palapit po yung election, may kanya-kanya kuro-kuro, paninira doon, paninira dito, but definitely lilitaw naman po yung totoo,” Mallari said.
The flood control project, a part of the Rehabilitation of Eroded Bank of Pampanga River program, is being executed by EddMari Construction and Trading, according to the project description posted at the worksite.
Mallari raised concerns about the integrity of the sheet piles used in the construction which, he said, could have compromised the structure's ability to withstand water pressure from the Pampanga River.
DPWH earlier said that the steel sheet piles leaned due to the saturation of the embankment, and exacerbated by recent typhoons, an intensified southwest monsoon, and water seepage from nearby residential areas.
“Makikita naman po yung kung pinutol eh. Pero paano po makikita pinutol? Nakabaon pa po eh. Bunutin muna, ‘di ba? Para makita,” he said.
The former vice mayor recommended pursuing the proposed rechanneling program of the Pampanga River in the area to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“Yun po kasing area na ‘yun, alam naman natin, yung Barangay Candating is part of the Pampanga River. Nakapasok po siya sa ring dike. Ang hirap magsisi pero ‘yung portion talaga po na ‘yun, yun po yung hangga’t hindi nagagawa yung channeling, kahit anong gawin nila doon, masisira at masasira. Kahit gaano katibay. Kasi po, imagine, doon po kasi ang tumbok ng tubig. May program po noon during my first term, magkakaroon ng channel, aalis po doon at lalawak. Kasi napakalaki po ng Pampanga River. Pero mas malaki po ‘yung budget na kailangan kaya hindi nagawa,” he said.
Former Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo also voiced out his concerns about the possible flaws in the construction of the slope protection.
In a Facebook post, Pelayo criticized the claim that the collapse was caused by flooding.
He stressed that the infrastructure was intended to prevent flooding.
“Check if the sheet piles were properly compacted or if they met standards, else these were cut short of specifications [for the contractor] to increase profits,” Pelayo said in the vernacular.
The former mayor urged the public to demand transparency in the project and other similar infrastructure projects in the province.
“Magreklamu tamu,” he said. (Let’s complain.)
In a statement to Sun.Star Pampanga, EddMari Construction and Trading assured the public that it will repair the damaged infrastructure at no cost to the government.
The company added that it respects the opinions of Mallari and Pelayo but did not respond to the challenge to pull out the sheet piles to verify if they met the standard sizes for the project.