ILOILO City – A long-awaited flood-control project meant to ease Lapuz district’s chronic flooding woes has collapsed even before it could start.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 6 has terminated the rehabilitation of Mansaya Creek, citing unresolved obstructions and inaccessible sites, a decision that has left the city government dismayed.
In a letter to Mayor Raisa Treñas, DPWH-6 officer-in-charge regional director Joel Limpengco said the agency had no choice but to end the contract “for convenience, effective September 16, 2025,” after repeated delays caused by “the persistent presence of obstructions, notably the non-removal of informal settlers, and the consequent inaccessibility of the project site.”
The P75-million project, covered under Contract ID No. 23G00051, was intended to rehabilitate Mansaya Creek in barangays Lapuz Norte, Don Esteban, and Sinikway in La Paz district. It aimed to improve water flow and address Lapuz’s perennial flooding during heavy rains.
Despite the termination, Limpengco thanked the city for its support.
“We express our gratitude for the cooperation and understanding extended by your office throughout the course of this undertaking. We remain hopeful for future opportunities to collaborate for the development of Iloilo City,” he wrote.
Mayor Treñas, however, did not hide her frustration, stressing that the project’s failure could have been avoided with proper planning.
“The issues raised, such as right-of-way and informal settlers, could have been avoided if there had been proper coordination with the Iloilo City Government prior to implementation,” she said.
She also called for closer partnerships moving forward, warning against wasted funds and unfinished works.
“Stronger collaboration between national agencies and the local government unit, including the barangay officials, is necessary and vital to ensure that projects intended for our people will not go to waste and are completed,” Treñas emphasized.
With the Mansaya Creek rehabilitation now scrapped, Lapuz residents remain vulnerable to severe flooding, and questions linger on how both the DPWH and the city government plan to fill the gap left by the project’s termination./PN
