ILIGAN City ― In an interview over the weekend. City Councilor Marlene Young told reporters that mayor Frederick Siao had issued a directive that the drainage concerns here should be addressed early, as early as February this year.
This is imperative, Young said quoting the mayor.
It was then learned that she, being the chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Public Works had attended a meeting on January 11, the agenda of which was principally on the drainage problems in the city. she said. The continued rains, she added, affected several areas in the city, some of which became impassable.
The said meeting, she further added, was attended by personnel from the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office which presently is headed by Oyes Lagapa and personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways. and even personnel from, the city health department, barangay leaders, and even the academe, particularly from the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology.
A comprehensive drainage management plan is already drawn by the city, said Young since this is among the city’s “Iligan Development Goals” and there is now initial funding for it in the amount of P115 million.
Among the areas that were very much affected by the continuous rains last week, she said were Del Carmen, Bagong Silang, Ubaldo Laya, Suarez, and Sta. Elena.
The sitio at Ulas, Ubaldo Laya, was rendered impassable, it was learned, and residents there had to pass through an alternate route. One chapel was ripped in the middle, and residents there were thankful that they had evacuated on time and nobody was hurt.
Meanwhile, Lagapa of the CDRRMO told reporters that residents should be “alert” on the color coding scheme, that is made known to them, like yellow, orange, or red. By “yellow,” he said, residents must keep on monitoring, by “orange,” they must be ready to evacuate, and by “red” they must immediately evacuate to some safe place.
They should not wait for the notices telling them to do so, like some ‘rekorida’ or roving city vehicle, making some announcements on the matter.
This week, classes are resumed after Siao issued an executive order last Friday to suspend all types at all levels in the city.
