Posted on November 28, 2016
By Camcer Ordoñez Imam, Manila Bulletin
The Department of Public Works and Highways Regional Office 10 (DPWH-10) maintained that it was the sole agency in the country that is allowed to dredge rivers, contrary to a resolution passed by the city council here that the local government should immediately de-silt the Cagayan River to prevent massive flooding.
Through its spokesperson Vinah Jeanne B. Maghinay, DPWH 10 said the DPWH Department Order No. 139, issued under then Secretary Rogelio Singson, stated that “all dredging operations in rivers and deltas in the country should be undertaken by the agency.”
Maghinay’s statement came after the city council passed a resolution that gave the local government the go-signal to proceed with the dredging of the Cagayan River as a preventive measure against flooding.
Councilor Zaldy O. Ocon, chairman of the council’s environment committee, pushed for the passage of the resolution after he was piqued at the allegedly slow dredging operation of the river.
Ocon’s resolution “strongly urged” the local government to de-silt the river by dredging it.
He underscored that the dredging should be undertaken to prevent a repeat of the incident when the river burst its banks in 2011 at the height of storm Sendong which killed thousands.
However, Ocon later relented and agreed to change the words “strongly urge” to “inform,” implying that if the DPWH could not comply with its dredging responsibilities, the city government could take the cudgels from the agency.
Source: Manila Bulletin
