INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A disaster management alliance among local governments in Northern Mindanao is in the offing as leaders of this city and Misamis Oriental province joined hands to address frequent flooding here and in nearby towns.
Mayor Rolando Uy and Gov. Peter Unabia met on Thursday to discuss the aftermath of the floods that hit six villages of the city and another in neighboring Tagoloan town.
The series of floods – spawned by heavy rains from localized thunderstorm, started on Oct. 14, displacing some 200 families in Tablon village.
On Oct. 16, rampaging waters swept through the villages of Bugo, Puerto and Casinglot, killing two persons.
The Philippine Red Cross counted some 1,532 families displaced by the floods that damaged 360 houses.
On the evening of Oct. 19, close to 200 families of Tablon, Gusa, F.S. Catanico and Cugman villages evacuated to safer grounds as floodwaters entered their homes.
Overall, some 10,000 people were affected by the recent floods.
Unabia and Uy said they have agreed to work together for better disaster response as well as jointly pursue measures aimed at flood prevention and mitigation.
They vowed to strengthen the sharing of early warning information as well as search and rescue assets and personnel.
Both leaders appealed to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to fast-track the approval of proposals to dredge Cagayan de Oro and Iponan rivers, two major waterways that cut through this city.
A third-party study on the proposed dredging projects is reportedly underway, the results of which could determine the agency’s decision on the proposals which were dished out before the tragic floods spawned by the weak but rain-heavy Typhoon ‘Sendong’ in December 2011.
According to Uy, while massive drainage projects are crucial to flood control, the threat of flooding persists if the rivers remain heavily silted.
Unabia, who chairs the infrastructure committee of the regional development council, vowed to bring the approval delays of the dredging projects before the national authorities.
Unabia and Uy are mulling jointly funding a study for possibly dredging Alae river the waters of which emanate from Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
Cagayan de Oro City is at the receiving end of water from Manolo Fortich, Baungon, Libona and Talakag, and to some extent, from the hinterlands of Iligan City and Bubong town in Lanao del Sur.
Water flowing into rivers and creeks from Manolo Fortich and Malitbog could potentially spawn floods in Tagoloan town.
In the aftermath of ‘Sendong’ in 2011, the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Council was organized as a platform for discussing and working on common ecological concerns.
It has been inactive, however, for some time now.