DPWH says audit needed on construction practices after Bulacan floods

MANILA, Philippines — After railway and infrastructure developments were believed to have triggered widespread flooding in Bulacan, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) chief Manuel Bonoan on Tuesday said that there should be audits on construction practices.

Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando earlier said urbanization projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) have seemingly worsened the flooding in parts of Bulacan.

READ: Railway project may have contributed to Bulacan flooding – governor

When asked by reporters if there should be an audit on construction, Bonoan replied, “Dapat lang naman po. I think mayroon naman tayong kuwan dito sa pagpapagawa ng mga infrastructure projects that iyong mga ganoong bagay ay dapat iwasan naman natin iyong mga nakakabara sa mga waterways.”

(There should be. I think we have something there in infrastructure projects that these things should be avoided such as blocking waterways.)

Bonoan said that he has spoken to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, who assured him that construction for the NSCR was well-kept.

The DPWH chief instead pointed to shallow rivers as a possible contributor to the floods in Bulacan.

“I think, sa aking lang naman (in my opinion), technically some of the problems actually in Bulacan is actually that many of the rivers there the riverbed are just so shallow now at this time. So, we need to increase the carrying capacity of these rivers para mas mabilis iyong pagdaloy ng tubig-baha papunta sa Manila Bay (so that the floodwaters can quickly flow into Manila Bay),” said Bonoan.

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