ILOILO City – While some officials have downplayed the alarming flooding in five barangays in Jaro district, the Iloilo City Government under the leadership of Mayor Raisa S. Treñas has taken urgent action to investigate and address the situation.
Residents of barangays Camalig, Lanit, Tagbak, Balantang, and Buntatala recently endured chest-deep flooding — the worst these areas have experienced — despite only moderate rainfall. The floodwaters invaded homes and severely disrupted livelihoods.
On July 14, 2025, no less than the punong barangays, together with affected residents, personally raised their concerns at the Office of the City Mayor. They pointed to an ongoing engineering project by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) at Buntatala Creek as the root cause of the unprecedented flooding.
One of the projects in question involves the construction of slope protection along a portion of the creek in Barangay Buntatala, Jaro. The structure, residents say, has significantly narrowed the waterway, obstructed the natural flow of water, and caused upstream water to back up, leading to localized flooding in their communities.
Punong Barangay Remedios Bedia of Lanit, Jaro shared their shock over the sudden surge of floodwater on July 12, despite the absence of heavy rainfall.
“Tingala kami nga gulpi ang tubig kag nagtaas asta sa dughan. Before, indi amo na ka taas,” Bedia said.
“Gamay ang ginbilin sa creek, nagkipot kay gintambakan. Sang wala pa na ya, bisan gabaha diri sa amon, indi pareho sang July 12 nga madalom,” she further shared what they found out as the cause of the flooding.
Punong Barangay Mary Jane Jecara of Tagbak echoed Bedia’s concerns and noted that the project had suffered delays. Implementation began only in February 2025, even though the contract was scheduled to start in February 2024 and supposed to be completed by September 2024.
“Sa likod sang (Tagbak) terminal dalom ang tubig kay may project dira nga iya sang DPWH. Then si Camalig kag Balantang nagreklamo man sa akon nga ang tubig nila sa amo lang to, madasig magsaka kag wala naga-ilig,” Jecara cited in an interview over Bombo Radyo Iloilo.
Residents of Barangay Balantang also shared their experiences. Maricel Jinon, 38, and Fe Villanueva-Juarez, 52, both said it was the first time they had experienced such chest-deep flooding, which they believe is linked to the ongoing works at the creek.
“Sa 52 years ko nga naga-istar diri, wala ko ka-experience sang amo ni ka dalom nga baha halin sang gin-obra na da subong ang sa may sapa namon,” Juarez said.
Their observations were validated by findings from the Iloilo City Task Force on Drainage. According to its report, the slope protection structure has indeed encroached into Buntatala Creek, further narrowing an already constricted waterway and limiting the affected barangays’ capacity to drain stormwater.
“The embankment is approximately six meters. Notably, the slope protection structure extends to a portion of creek channel, thereby narrowing the effective waterway,” read part of the task force’s findings and observations.
With this, its recommendations include the review of slope protection design to ensure it does not encroach on the creek channel or obstruct water flow, maintain sufficient channel width to preserve flow capacity and coordinate with DPWH and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for assessment.
The task force also found that a recently installed culvert along the same creek is undersized and inadequate to handle large volumes of water during heavy rainfall, posing risks of even worse flooding in the future.
Moreover, based on the spot report of the DENR- Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), they have verified in the area that the subject waterway was constricted due to the construction of retaining wall on the esplanade which will serve as bike lane.
The report also noted that two lanes composed of six culverts — temporarily installed to allow equipment access during construction — were insufficient to handle high volumes of water during heavy rainfall.
A separate investigation, meanwhile, revealed that the ICDEO held a stakeholders’ meeting only with Barangay Tagbak, and not with all the barangays affected by the project’s alignment.
To safeguard residents of the five flood-hit barangays from the risk of leptospirosis, Mayor Treñas instructed the City Health Office to distribute doxycycline. This is apart from the distribution of relief goods to affected families.
On Sunday, the city government initiated another round of consultations with residents and homeowners’ associations from the affected areas to further address their concerns. On the same day, another round of flooding occurred in barangays Lanit, Camalig, Balantang, Tagbak, and Buntatala.
The city mayor also wrote to DPWH Secretary Bonoan and DENR Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla to request an investigation into whether the DPWH project complies with existing environmental laws.
“I implore your urgent intervention for the speedy and expeditious solution to the worsening flooding problem in Jaro District, Iloilo City. On behalf of the loving people of Iloilo City, I am grateful for your continued support and infrastructure projects for our beloved city,” read part of Mayor Treñas’ letter to Secretary Bonoan.
Similarly, former Mayor Jerry P. Treñas also weighed in. In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, he called on both the DPWH and DENR to immediately investigate the concerns raised by barangay officials and residents of the five affected barangays in Jaro and to ensure the safety of the people.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to urge these agencies to properly investigate and evaluate the ongoing infrastructure projects that may have contributed to the flooding,” he said.
He further stressed the need for all infrastructure project proponents in Iloilo City to carefully consider the city’s geomorphological characteristics, which, if not considered can heighten the risk of flooding and other hazards./PN
