DPWH plans to address Bulacan flooding woes comprehensively

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manny Bonoan said Thursday they will work in a comprehensive way to address the flooding problem in Bulacan province, which was heavily affected by the recent Typhoon Karding.

Secretary Bonoan made the remark in response to Senator Joel Villanueva's expressed expectation that the flooding in the province will be addressed under the current administration.

“I can assure the good senator that we will comprehensively look into the flooding problem in the Bulacan area… and address [it] comprehensively [...],” Bonoan said at the Senate Committee on Finance hearing.

During the onslaught of Typhoon Karding, five rescuers were killed in a flash flood in Barangay Camias in San Miguel, Bulacan.

Also, Bonoan pointed out that many parts of the country that had no problems with flooding are now troubled by floods.

In quick a retort, Villanueva said that flooding in other areas must also be addressed. “Sana hindi lang Bulacan dahil may mga lugar din po, ‘yung binanggit natin kanina. May criteria naman to prioritize ‘yung programs natin to look into this.”

Macapagal Avenue

Meanwhile, Bonoan said he is looking into a legislation that will convert the Diosdado Macapagal Avenue into a national road.

“I was informed… that when we attempted to convert the Diosdado Macapagal Avenue into a national road, it was objected to by the PRA… Now, I think we are in the process of reviewing it again. The possibility of converting it now into the national road,” he said.

Bonoan said this may be done through a legislation or a department order.

In response, Senator Cynthia Villar told him to “order it.”

“Kasi nakakahiya. Kasi galing ‘yan sa airport. And then makikita nung ating mga nanggagaling sa airport. It’s really badly maintained, hindi ba? Especially the Parañaque portion,” Villar said.

Unfilled positions

Meanwhile, Villanueva raised the question why there were 3,180 unfilled positions in the department, saying that he has repeatedly brought it up in previous years.

But, Bonoan said there were only 1,900 unfilled positions as of August.

“We take note of the concerns of the honorable senator and I think we will continue to look into the organizational setup of the department, consistent with the rightsizing program of the administration,” he said. —LBG, GMA News