PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon ordered the immediate repair of a damaged flood control dike in Bangkal, Talomo District, to reduce the risk of severe flooding in the area.
Dizon also directed the Department of Public Works and Highways in Davao Region to begin dredging the Talomo River, which he said had not been desilted for about 10 years.
During an inspection on Wednesday, Dizon questioned why flood mitigation projects in the area remained unfinished despite the allocation of billions of pesos since 2019.
He said an earlier project to raise the dike by two meters had been left incomplete, even as substantial public funds had already been released for flood control works in the district.
Dizon estimated that the required repairs would cost less than Php 100 million and blamed the delay on shortcomings in the department’s leadership and project implementation.
He also said he had only recently been briefed on a flood control master plan prepared with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which could be funded under the 2027 General Appropriations Act.
According to Dizon, the plan had not yet been approved and could not be implemented immediately because funding was not available in the current budget.
As an initial response, the DPWH will dredge the river and its outlet to the sea before moving upstream and building a gabion dike. Dizon said long-term measures should also include a dam or detention basin in the upland areas of Davao City to slow the flow of water toward low-lying communities.