A drainage project at the New Public Market, a flood-prone area in Barangay San Jose, is already in the works and is scheduled to begin in late January or February 2022.
During the City Council’s question hour on Monday, Engr. Julio Sergio of the City Engineering Office (CEO) said the project has a P160-million budget and is now in the planning stage. In January 2022, a public bidding process will be undertaken to obtain the services of a private company.
“May nakalaan na rin itong budget na P160-million at sa January, ifo-forward na namin sa BAC (Bids and Awards Committee) para magkaroon na ng bidding. Kasalukuyan kasing nasa planning and programming stage pa nga lang ngayon ang flood control project sa Barangay San Manuel,” Sergio said.
“After nang bidding, nasa three months estimated na rin ang tagal ng project,” he added.
Sergio added that nine other drainage projects are scheduled for 2022, and are all in various stages of planning before undergoing public bidding.
The engineering office was called by City Councilor Elgin Damasco to give an update on their various drainage projects because of frequent flooding in the North National Highway, particularly in front of a car dealership business. After Sergio’s explanation, Damasco cautioned him to ensure that a qualified company with proper credentials would have the winning bid on the project.
“Siguraduhin ninyo na ‘yong mananalong bidder ay may sapat na kagamitan, hindi ‘yong on paper lang may gamit tapos pag sa actual wala na, mad-delay pa ang project,” Damasco said.
Sergio added as well that the flooding was due to the overflowing of tributary waterways in the surrounding areas in Barangay San Manuel. He added that there is also another drainage project underway for an adjacent area, in Pablico Roads 1, 2, and 3, and that the allocated budget for this is P41-million.
