Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo assured Monday that the city government will take the necessary steps to address the constant problem of flooding in the Banilad loop road that continues to pose a threat to human lives and property.
The mayor gave his assurance after residents complained of flooding following heavy rainfall Sunday evening, which left portions of the road scoured, ditches gaping wider and debris scattered even down to the national highway.
This particular road, which forms a loop connecting Banilad to Bajumpandan, traverses the slaughterhouse and the city jail.
Back then, the problem had already been elevated to the city government but previous administrations failed to find a solution to it.
Mayor Remollo, during his first term in office several years back, had in fact ordered that a drainage system be constructed in the lower Banilad area, but that, too, did not work.
During heavy rainfall, the road turns into a mini-river, stranding residents in the area, and causing flooding downstream to the highway and onwards to the sea.
Remollo disclosed Monday the need for a “masterplan” for the sewage/drainage system there, considering that the city government will soon break ground in about two months’ time its new government center in the Bajumpandan-Banilad area.
The mayor has promised that he will send a team on Wednesday to do a site inspection in the areas that are constantly affected by flooding, apparently caused by a creek that overflows during heavy downpour.
The barangay captain of Banilad, Raul Bana, had previously told residents there he had already reported the matter to City Hall, but the problem remained unsolved. (Judy Flores Partlow)
