Marcos sends DPWH chief Dizon to inspect flood-hit areas in Davao

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon will be checking on the flooded areas in Davao City following the combined effects of cyclone Kiyapo and the Southwest Monsoon.

Marcos said this in an interview in Davao City upon his inspection of a condominium-type housing project under the government’s expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program, located in Barangay Riverside in Calinan District.

“Andito si Secretary Vince Dizon at magpapaiwan siya rito. Pupuntahan niya lahat ng nabaha in the southern portion,” the President said in an interview.

(Secretary Vince Dizon is here, and he will stay here. He will go to the areas that were flooded in the southern portion.)

“Dahil ang problema, meron palang master plan ‘yun, 2023. For whatever reason, hindi ginawa do’n sa, ‘yung mga ibang project. Kaya babalikan natin para ‘yung master plan na para do’n ay matapos na, para hindi na tayo makakakita ng baha na kagaya ng nakita natin recently,” he added.

(The problem here is there was a master plan in 2023. For whatever reason, it was not implemented for the other projects. So we will look into this master plan so that it can be finished and these floods we saw recently will not happen again.)

Several areas in Davao City experienced severe flooding that almost reached the rooftops of houses following heavy rains on Friday evening.

Barangay Los Amigos in the Tugbok District, Davao City declared a state of calamity because of the intense flooding, noting that 80% of local residents were affected.

Beyond the Davao Region, floodwaters also submerged parts of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Marcos on Tuesday visited Davao de Oro and Davao City to distribute assistance and visit communities and government projects, a day after his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

In his inspection of the People’s Ville, the President committed to adding 42 more buildings to further reduce the housing backlog in the city, especially among low-income and informal settler families.

“Kasi ang ginagawa natin ngayon, hindi lang tayo gumagawa ng bahay, gumagawa tayo ng community na kumpleto na lahat. Dahil mahirap tirahan kung wala naman pupuntahan ‘yung mga bata, walang malapit na palengke, hindi malapit sa trabaho,” Marcos said.

(What we’re doing now is not just building houses, but building a community where everything is complete. Because it is difficult to live somewhere the children have nowhere to go, where there is no nearby market, where it’s far from work.)

“’Yun ang mga titingnan natin, hindi lang ‘yung pagpapabayo ng bahay. We'll be continuing, siguro lahat ito, ‘yung buo nito, matatapos by the end of next year, matatapos natin ‘yan. By the end of next year, lahat ng 42 na buildings,” he added.

(That’s what we’re looking at---not just building houses. Maybe all of this will be finished by the end of next year, all the 42 buildings.)

Marcos likewise inspected the upgraded facilities of the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital–Montevista, which sustained damage during the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Mindanao on June 8.

He also personally witnessed the discharge of a patient who received treatment under the Zero Balance Billing (ZBB) Program, which allows eligible patients to receive medical care without paying hospitalization expenses. —LDF, GMA News