Aquino brings projects, backs Laguna lawmaker for governor

PRESIDENT Aquino brings projects and endorses his candidate for governor, Rep. Egay San Luis, during a proclamation rally for his candidates in Laguna. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BIÑAN CITY—A congressman from Laguna welcomed the national government’s projects for the province, especially those concerning flood mitigation and the rehabilitation of the Laguna de Bay.

In a political caucus held here on Tuesday evening, Laguna 4th District Rep. Egay San Luis, who is running for governor, cited the flood control programs of the national government, in place of the P18-billion dredging project that President Aquino himself shelved due to irregularities in the government deal with a Belgian dredging firm.

In his recent visit to Sta. Cruz town on April 5, the President laid down several “short-term and long-term plans,” to improve the conditions of lakeshore residents.

“No matter how much you dredge, if you will not fix water coming from upstream and fix settlements, we will just be dealing with the same problem over and over,” the President said in an interview after his meeting with community leaders in Sta. Cruz town.

According to the President, 3,000 hectares of illegal fish pens in the Laguna de Bay would be demolished.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, he said, is also implementing a cash-for-work program for lakeshore residents to capture and address the spread of the predator knife fish that feeds on bangus and tilapia fingerlings in the lake.

Aquino said the National Greening Program that targets 1.5 billion of trees planted in the upstream and forested areas will control the siltation at the lake.

“The lake’s depth has gone down from 12 meters to 2.5 m,” he said of the heavily silted lake. The months-long flood experienced during Typhoon “Ondoy” and the monsoon phenomenon last year was blamed on the swollen water body.

Aquino added that at least 400,000 informal settlers are responsible for polluting the lake by dumping their wastes into the water.

The national government allotted P5 billion for its flood control program in Metro Manila and Laguna. Of this amount, P780 million is earmarked for the construction of river control structures in the towns of Sta. Cruz, Sta. Maria, Mabitac, this city and San Pedro.

The flood-control structures would be constructed first in Sta. Cruz town for a budget of P180 million and are expected to be completed by the end of 2013. The structures are described to be reinforced with concrete walls on steel sheet piles.