ILOILO City – From “Where’s the fund?” to “Where are the projects?” — questions are mounting for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) over the status of billions worth of public works in the city.
Nearly P4 billion in infrastructure projects are being implemented by the ICDEO for calendar years 2024 and 2025, covering 90 projects, Mayor Raisa Treñas said in a statement.
Four of these projects are being handled by Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp. and St. Timothy Construction Corp., both ranked among the country’s top 15 contractors for flood control projects, according to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Treñas disclosed that two of the projects could not be located by city authorities, while another has been suspended due to obstructions.
“If these projects do not serve their intended purpose of controlling or mitigating flooding, then it would be better to demolish them altogether rather than waste public funds,” the mayor said.
Treñas urged DPWH to immediately provide documents requested by the city government for a science-based study to update the Drainage Master Plan, a city-wide program based on technical research and consultations aimed at providing sustainable flood control solutions.
The mayor also raised concerns that some drainage structures built by DPWH and ICDEO may be below minimum size standards, citing the narrowing of Buntatala Creek, which she said worsened downstream flooding.
She echoed President Marcos’ observation that some project plans appeared to follow the same template, with only titles and addresses changed, suggesting a lack of thorough planning.
“Flooding cannot be solved overnight or through a single approach. But with coordination, expert studies, and science-based solutions guiding our actions, we can address this problem effectively,” Treñas said.
The mayor earlier expressed full support for President Marcos’ probe into alleged irregularities in DPWH-implemented flood control projects nationwide.
Aside from the cited projects, residents are now asking: with no other visible works from the DPWH, where are the rest of the projects under the P4-billion, two-year budget?
WHERE’S THE FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT IN MANSAYA-BUDBURAN CREEK?
Two barangay captains in Lapuz District have questioned two flood mitigation projects worth P150 million each, which were supposed to cover parts of their barangays but which they claimed remain unimplemented.
Barangay Mansaya Punong Barangay Enrico Hortillosa said the rehabilitation of the Mansaya-Budburan Creek, planned in 2023, has yet to start. The project was discussed in a meeting with DPWH last year, but they were told it was still under budget preparation.
He noted that flooding continues in Lapuz, the Mansaya-Budburan Creek — the district’s natural waterway — remains untouched, and barangays Lapuz Norte, Don Esteban, Mansaya and Sinikway are also grappling with persistent floods.
“Wala sang may nagtupa ukon may ginsuguran nga P150 million nga proyekto sa amon barangay,” said Hortillosa in an interview with RMN-Iloilo.
Barangay Don Esteban Captain Efren Senayo confirmed that a similar flood control project was also planned in their area in 2023. He said they were shown the rehabilitation plans for the Mansaya-Budburan Creek in the office of Iloilo City’s Rep. Julienne Baronda and even joined inspections and site planning.
“Ginplano lang kag gin-survey pero wala sang may gintukod nga proyekto?” wondered Senayo.
Lapuz barangay captains are now asking where the two P150-million projects went, as neither has seen visible progress.
NARROWED BUNTATALA AND DUNGON CREEKS
Aside from barangay captains of Lapuz, several barangay captains from Jaro and Molo districts have renewed calls for accountability over DPWH projects along waterways, following last month’s severe flooding that claimed two lives.
During the Aug. 11 Quad Committee meeting of the City Council, the barangay officials reported that floodwaters reached unprecedented depths and lingered longer after DPWH bike lane, flood control, and esplanade projects encroached on or narrowed creeks, such as the Buntatala and Dungon Creeks, causing backflow.
Barangay leaders from Lanit, Buntatala, Calubihan, Dungon B, and Simon Ledesma, in Jaro and San Juan, Molo cited incidents of rechanneled floodwaters, seawater intrusion, and massive displacement of residents. In Tagbak, a 13-year-old drowned in a section of Buntatala Creek where works are ongoing.
Flooding also hit Mohon, Arevalo district, due to the narrowed waterways at the mouth of the Iloilo River from DPWH’s slope protection, bike lane, and access road projects causing floodwaters to spread into nearby Oton town in Iloilo province.
Oton’s Mayor Sofronio Fusin said the project’s obstruction of natural waterways contributed to widespread flooding in both Oton and Iloilo City.
“Waterways and creeks should serve as catch basins and be protected from unnatural intervention, obstruction, or non-essential construction. Urgent measures are needed to prevent further loss of lives, properties, and livelihoods,” Fusin stressed.
The flooding in Oton also claimed one life.
UNFINISHED PROJECTS: A LOOK BACK
In March this year, under then-mayor Jerry P. Treñas, the city government also sought concrete solutions to long-overdue and unfinished DPWH-ICDEO projects. Several of these, including multipurpose buildings, were facilitated by the office of Rep. Baronda.
The city wanted to know if funds were available for their completion amid complaints from barangay officials and residents.
However, DPWH-ICDEO OIC District Engineer Roy Pacanan did not attend the clarificatory meeting called by former Mayor Treñas.
Pacanan also skipped the Aug. 13 quadcom hearing of the Sangguniang Panlungsod on public and private works along the city’s rivers, creeks, and waterways and called it as “political demolition.”
The council, through Resolution No. 2025-735, launched a legislative inquiry into projects suspected of worsening flooding due to encroachments, narrowed channels, and obstructed drainage.
The incumbent Mayor, on her part, has hit back at the ICDEO. She defended the City Council’s decision to hold a committee hearing, citing the legislative body’s mandate to uphold the general welfare of the people, including protecting property and ensuring public safety.
“The committee hearing is an important venue for our legislative body to gather facts, so they can craft ordinances or local laws that directly address the urgent needs of our constituents,” she said.
“Wala kita sang iban nga agenda kundi transparency, accountability, kag pagserbisyo sa pumuluyo sang Iloilo City,” she stressed./PN
