ILOILO City – Flooding in this southern city is not only a problem during typhoons or heavy rains but also during high tide.
Cong. Julienne Baronda pointed this out as she sought the help of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) during the latter’s budget hearing on Sept. 16.
Baronda specifically asked DPWH for additional funding for the Iloilo City Comprehensive Drainage Plan which, based on a 2017 feasibility study, needed a total funding of P6.2 billion.
She noted that the drainage project of the city has so far been given around P500 million budget.
“Concern talaga namin hindi lang during time ng typhoon… kahit walang typhoon ‘pag may high tide, underwater na ang several areas sa Iloilo City. So I would just like to ask the assistance of the good secretary na sana matulungan nya kami about sa problema namin para ma-address at madagdagan ng pondo para sa comprehensive drainage plan para sa Iloilo City,” Baronda said as he addressed DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan.
Bonoan, on his part, assured the lady legislator that Iloilo City’s concern will be looked into.
“I was informed by our senior undersecretary that the additional program for the Iloilo City’s masterplan program will be attended to,” Bonoan told Baronda.
Baronda brought out the concern on Iloilo City’s drainage plan as she pointed out the underutilized budget of the department for the past few years.
In 2019, she said, DPWH had P83 billion unused appropriation, P83 billion in 2020 and P87.6 billion in 2021.
For this year, the department has a total allotment of P812.4 billion. So far, its total obligations is P372.1 billion.
Bonoan said that the disbursement rate at this time amounts to P296.6 billion or 37 percent of the P812.4 billion allotment.
The DPWH secretary said they are confident that it may not be 100 percent but they will be able to obligate almost 95 percent of the entire budget allocation for 2022.
“I have look into the historical trend in the (DPWH) absorptive capacity over the years and while it is true that the disbursement rate as of this point in time seems to be a little low, I am confident that we will be able to maintain absorptive capacity of 90 percent by the end of the year,” said Bonoan.
“We have had several payable that we have now requesting the Department of Budget and Management for the release of cash obligations at this point in time and we are just awaiting our payables that we will increase our absorptive capacity in 2022,” he added./PN
