Mandaluyong flood woes seen ending after 3-yr wait

Despite heavy rains on Thursday, Mandaluyong City’s Maysilo Circle was free of flooding—many say for the first time in three years—as the long-overdue P609-million drainage project in the area was finally completed.

Jimmy Isidro, Mandaluyong public information office head, said that with the completion of the project, which was done in three phases by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), motorists can expect normal traffic flow along the San Francisco Street-Maysilo Circle link.

The local government expects a business boom in the area following years of stagnation. Since the project started in January 2013, foul-smelling floodwater along portions of Maysilo, Boni Avenue and adjacent streets forced several businesses to close down, while the shops that remained saw their income plummet.

The annual Christmas bazaar sponsored by the local government around Maysilo was also forced to relocate inside the City Hall compound during the last term of then Mayor Benhur Abalos. Isidro said that with the project already finished, plans are underway to revive the annual bazaar.

While the area is now accessible to traffic, Isidro said minor works will continue till yearend, such as landscaping and the setup of sidewalk railings and light posts.

Isidro expressed the city’s gratitude to former Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and his successor, Secretary Mark Villar, who earlier pledged to finish the project by Sept. 30.

Asked about the local government’s future actions regarding contractor LR Tiqui Builders Inc., which repeatedly sought an extension to complete the project and was largely faulted by Abalos for the delay, Isidro said City Hall would leave it up to the DPWH.

In a DPWH statement, Villar recalled that “we gave an ultimatum to the contractor (to) finish this on Sept. 30 or swim in  Pasig River. Glad to report the project is now completed. No one is swimming, at least today.”

“The Duterte administration has always emphasized (the need for) efficiency and quality. The construction of Mandaluyong Main Drainage Project is expected to protect 182 hectares, which is composed of 10 barangays and four major roads, namely Boni Avenue-East, Boni Avenue-West, San Francisco Street and Martinez Road,” he noted.

“The completion of the P609.12-million Mandaluyong Main Drainage Project is expected to decrease inundation depth from chest-deep to just about six inches of flooding, if any. It is also expected to shorten the duration of flooding to only about 30 minutes,” he said.

The final segment of the project involved the construction of a 652-meter double barrel box culvert along San Francisco Street and the installation of four pumps. Each pump has a discharge capacity of 1.5 cubic meters per second.

The drainage system is designed to meet the current and anticipated volume of storm water runoffs that had caused flooding in the area.