Boracay drainage project fast-tracked

ILOILO CITY—A drainage system that seeks to address flooding on Boracay Island will be completed this year, according to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), an agency under the Department of Tourism which undertakes tourism-related infrastructure projects.

Tieza chief operating officer Mark Lapid said the two-phase project amounting to about P270 million would start operating after its management is transferred to a private firm under a public-private partnership scheme.

The first phase of the project, which costs P190 million, has been completed and will be subjected to dry run operations. It extends from a portion of Station 2 in the middle of the island to Station 1, or northward.

The second phase, amounting to P80 million, will extend from Station 2 to Station 3, or southward.

The project has been delayed due to an investigation conducted by the Commission on Audit (COA) in 2013, which discovered ghost deliveries of construction materials worth P25 million.

Lapid, who assumed his post after the discovery of the anomaly, said the agency secured a clearance from the COA and the Solicitor General before continuing the project.

Business groups and residents have appealed for the fast-tracking of the project because of recurring floods on the 1,032-hectare island, especially during heavy rains. Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas