Funding for drainage, slaughterhouse sought
To address the city’s flooding problem, the Cebu City Council has to approve the P500-million appropriation for the improvement of the drainage system.
City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said they will start with the drainage projects next year even if the amount is inadequate to totally solve the problem.
The P500-million appropriation for the improvement of the drainage system is part of Mayor Michael Rama’s proposed P11.8 billion for 2012, which is under review by the Cebu City Council.
In a press conference yesterday, engineer Pedro Adonis Compendio of the Flood Mitigation and Drainage Task Force presented the P2.8-billion worth of projects that the city government had to implement to address flooding problems.
These include the establishment of rainwater tanks, development of infiltration beds, construction of detention basins or mini dams, channel improvement, improvement of new trunks and desilting projects.
These projects are identified in the city’s drainage master plan, which was finished in 2006.
June Nadine Sision, head of the construction division of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), said the city government has so far implemented 20 percent of the projects identified in its drainage master plan because of “budget problems.”
But Poblete said they also considered tapping the private sector to help in mitigating flooding problems.
“Flooding problem is not just a problem of government,” he said.
Poblete said flooding at the North Reclamation Area affects nearby malls like SM mall. He is confident the mall management would not have second thoughts in helping the city address flooding problems in their area.
In another development, Dr. Alice Utlang, head of the Cebu City Abbatoir, is asking the City Council to approve her proposed P30-million appropriation for the construction of a new abattoir.
With the new structure, she projects that their income will be doubled or tripled.
Utlang proposed a P34.9-million budget for next year. She said the abattoir is expected to raise about P36 million.
Of the total appropriation, P15 million will be set aside for the rehabilitation of the 25-year-old facility.
Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. asked Utlang during the budget hearing last Thursday to explain the need to spend P15 million for the abattoir’s rehabilitation when she is also asking for a new facility.
Utlang said they will still be using the old abattoir while waiting for the construction of a new one.
