• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Bacolod Lone District Rep. Alfredo Benitez said he expects an initial draft of the flood mitigation masterplan for the highly-urbanized city, following the second Flood Control Summit Dec. 10.
“The goal of this summit is the creation of a flood mitigation masterplan, a blueprint for the next decade, not just the next storm; a blueprint for the next generation, not just ours,” Benitez said in his keynote address.
This masterplan will require short-term fixes, like clearing operations, waste enforcement, drainage inventory, and zoning implementation; medium-term actions, like new ramps for equipment, relocation of at-risk households, and systematic dredging; and long-term engineering solutions, including catch basins, widened river channels, hydrology studies from uplands to lowlands, modern drainage designs, and large-scale flood mitigation projects.
“Most importantly, it will require shared discipline,” the solon stressed. “Without it, even the best infrastructure will fail.”
Yesterday’s gathering of concerned stakeholders, including the DPWH, DENR, DOST, DILG, DepDev, Bacolod barangay leaders, urban planners, engineers, the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance, and civil society groups, was the continuation of work began in October.
The problems compiled after the first summit, and the solutions available and agreed upon in the second gathering will form part of the proposed flood mitigation masterplan, Benitez said.
“Flooding has affected our homes, our businesses, our roads, our health, and our confidence as a community. (In today’s summit), we must take every idea, every concern, and every proposed solution, and align them into one direction. Today is about facing that reality squarely — and building a future where flooding does not define Bacolod,” Benitez said.
He added that results of the two summits will be presented to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his visit to Bacolod tomorrow, Dec. 12. | CGC
