ADB grant sought for Cebu City’s drainage

CEBU City Hall will apply for a grant to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to fund its half-a-billion-peso drainage master plan for the city.

“If we qualify for the grant, it may not reach P500 million.  But it would be good enough to help the city implement its drainage master plan,” Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said.

Rama said Bo Varquez of the Cebu Investments Promotions Center (CIPC) and City Administrator Jose Mari Poblete are working to complete the city’s requirements for the ADB under its Cities Development Initiative for Asia (ADB-CDIA).

The mayor told Cebu Daily News that  City Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez and Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, who chairs the City Council’s infrastructure committee, consulted on what projects to prioritize for the ADB grant.

The Cebu City government also applied for a loan with the ADB to finance its proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) mass transport system.

Cebu City’s drainage master plan include the construction of minidams, rainwater catchments, improvement of its drainage and water channels and desiltation of waterways.

The city already started dredging the Mahiga Creek in barangay Mabolo and will continue with a portion of the creek in sitio Lahing-lahing, located at the back of the sports complex.

The council approved last Wednesday the program of works and estimates for P12.5-million worth of drainage improvement projects for urban and rural barangays in the city.

This includes the implementation of a P4.3-million gabion construction in Lower Tac-an in barangay Budlaan and construction of a P3.9-million drainage system for V. Gullas Street. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac