By MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City — Employees and several clients at the city hall here were dumbfounded upon seeing that the building’s ground floor lobby was flooded.
Floodwater also filled several streets in the city following a downpour — short but heavy, according to observers — past 3 p.m. the other day.
It was the first time that the People’s House was flooded, according to Acting Mayor Greg Gasataya.
Gasataya said he called Engr. Allan Agbones of the City Engineer’s Office to check the cause.
According to Agbones, the downspout of the building had been clogged.
Instead of going down to the ground, rainwater overflowed from the top of the building and cascaded down to the third and second floors, and further down to the ground floor lobby, said the acting mayor.
No one was reported hurt. No properties were declared damaged.
Gasataya said he instructed Agbones and his personnel to locate which part of the downspout was clogged and fix it.
Gasataya, the vice mayor, serves as acting mayor from Aug. 27 to Sept. 5.
Mayor Monico Puentevella is in Spain to attend the FIBA World Cup.
Heavy rains on Thursday submerged the main thoroughfares of the city, which looks to officially becoming a metropolitan area.
The ground floor of a mall at the Reclamation Area was flooded, too.
Due to the flooding, some stores at the downtown area closed early.
Some who had become impatient waiting for floodwater to subside removed their footwear and braved the flooded streets.
The city government considers having Bacolod and some nearby areas declared “Metro Bacolod” and developing the Metro Bacolod Development Authority.
Frank Carbon, president of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, earlier said creating Metro Bacolod will help this capital city and nearby areas achieve their long-term goals and boost their business sector.
Puentevella had said drainages in the city were being repaired to address flooding.
BELORIA ‘ESCAPES DANGER’
One of the victims of the flooding was Atty. Cesar Beloria Jr. of the City Legal Office.
He posted the following on his Facebook account on Thursday:
“Just this afternoon, I almost had an accident due to the flooded road along the circumferential area. My car was about to flip and roll on the right side of the road. I stopped and turned on the hazard lights and tried to maneuver to return it to balance.
“It was useless. No matter how hard I tried, it just got worse. The people around were just watching me trying to escape danger. Nobody helped, maybe because they were also too busy trying to escape the flooded area.
“There was a moment of silence, as if everything had stopped for a while. It was then that the Lord revealed the way, as if somebody from driving school was touching my feet and hands with a loud instruction.
“I escaped the horror and the horrible feeling of hopelessness. I knew for sure that an angel came to my rescue. God is really good. You really are my refuge and my salvation. Thank you, Lord!”/PN
