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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Thursday, December 15, 2016
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ILOILO City – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has found a way to push through with its P100-million drainage project without cutting down decades-old trees growing on General Luna Street.
According to Councilor R Leone Gerochi, his meeting with DPWH representatives on Dec. 13 saved the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) the trouble of making a difficult choice between the trees and the drainage project that promises to solve the flood problem downtown.
“We came up with an engineering solution,” said Gerochi, chairperson of the SP committee on public services, environmental protection and ecology.
Instead of making the drainage on the sidewalk of General Luna Street where the trees are situated, DPWH will build it underneath the street, said Gerochi.
DPWH recently tried to seek the SP’s endorsement for the cutting of the trees. The endorsement was need so it could secure a permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to remove the trees.
City councilors, however, were hesitant to give an endorsement and urged DPWH to think of alternative ways to implement the drainage project.
“Na-ideyahan namon. We can enjoy the benefits of the drainage without cutting down the trees,” said Gerochi.
In today’s SP session, Gerochi is expected to deliver his committee report on DPWH’s endorsement request.
DPWH’s “engineering resolution” to the tree conundrum, however, is not without public inconveniences. Building the drainage underneath General Luna Street would entail the closure of a lane of this four-lane thoroughfare and result to traffic slowdown, said Gerochi.
Work will start on the portion of General Luna Street at the University of the Philippines Visayas going to Jalandoni Street (University of San Agustin) and the bridge connecting the City Proper and Barangay Nabitasan in La Paz district. The Iloilo River is the outfall of the drainage.
Aside from Genera Luna and Jalandoni streets, work on the drainage project covers two other major streets – Rizal and JM Basa.
Councilor Joshua Alim challenged DPWH engineers to use modern technology and techniques in drainage system construction.
“They are engineers. They know how to build roads or drainage systems perfectly and still avoid cutting down the trees,” he said.
Two years ago, Alim successfully rallied SP colleagues in opposing the uprooting of General Luna Street’s trees for DPWH’s road widening project.
Alim cited Singapore as example. “They have good roads and drainage systems yet trees are still there standing beautifully and proudly,” he said.
“The problem with DPWH people is that they want the easy way out, gapahapos lang,” said Alim./PN
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