DPWH says fix for flood prone

highway sections set in 2024

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, May 2, (PIA) –Riding and commuting public traversing flood prone areas along national roads in Candabong, Loboc and Sambog, Corella will have to wait until 2024, to have their scourges fixed.

The information surfaced during a committee meeting of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Public Works and Highways and Related Infrastructure called by chairman Board Member Nathaniel Binlod and member BM Vincenzo Arcamo, attended by Provincial Engineer Camilo Gasatan, Provincial Legal Office representative Atty. Paul Magallano, Bureau of Fire Protection officials, Department of Public Works and Highways officials for the first, second and third District Engineering Offices, contractors, Department of Education officials and the committee secretariat.

It was in February 2023 when BM Binlod officially sought for the conduct of remedial measures to address flood-prone national roads particularly in Sambog, and Candabong, Loboc.

He cites that for the safety and protection of the riding public, a study should be made so that a formal recommendation can be given to the legislative board.

During the committee meeting, the DPWH shared that a P50 million budget for the correction of the flood prone section in Sambog, Corella is already included in their proposed priority projects for 2024.

The budget includes the improvement of the road including concreting, change of slope and drainage.

On the other hand, that famous tourism stretch of Candabong, Loboc, where the man-made forest starts becomes a catchment of overflows from the highway canals, would be repaired with the public works agency putting the highway section in their proposed priority projects for 2024.

The DPWH estimates P100 M needed for the upgrading of the mentioned section.

Moreover, another flood prone national highway in Bacani, Clarin is also included in their proposed priority projects next year and with an estimated amount of P50 M, the road section would have to be raised higher and thus needs road upgrading.

In Tagbilaran City, the perennial problem of flooding as the run-off from the new Capitol Complex rushes to the low areas in front of Bohol Wisdom School causing knee-high flash floods in the area.

To this, the DPWH said an initial budget of P75M has been set aside for the construction of a drainage system that starts in Peñaflor Street towards Taloto District, to provide the storm water a way to drain away from the problem area.

Over-all, the government is slated to spend P275 million to come up with effective remedies to these areas which has already caused taxpayers money and undetermined productive time of workers and stranded individuals who have to wait for the waters to subside before they can proceed to work. (PIA-7/Bohol)