Davao floods: Dizon orders Talomo River clearing after decade without dredging

Following his inspection of the Talomo River in Davao City, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon ordered immediate clearing operations after finding that the waterway had not been dredged for the past decade, contributing to flooding in the area.

Monsoon rains triggered widespread flooding across Davao and other parts of Mindanao.

During an inspection in Barangay Bangkal, an irate Dizon was seen swearing, expressing frustration over the river's condition and the aftermath of the flooding.

Speaking on Balitanghali on Thursday, Dizon called the situation along Talomo River “saddening.”

“Hindi nga umuulan sa Davao no’n eh, umuulan sa bundok pero rumagasa ‘yung tubig mula sa bundok pababa sa, dito sa Talomo River at ang dami pong mga kababayan natin ang naperwisyo,” Dizon said.

(It was not even raining in Davao at the time, it was raining on the mountain but the water rushed down from the top and into the Talomo River, and many of our citizens suffered.)

“What we will do now is to dredge it immediately,” he added in Filipino.

Dizon said he was told by residents that there has been no dredging operations in the area for 10 years. There was already a dike that should have prevented the flooding but it was not finished, allowing the floodwater to enter into the communities.

"2019 pa 'to, tapos wala nang ginawa rito, iyan ang problema (This has been here since 2019, and nothing has been done about it since—that's the problem)," he said in a separate GMA video from a DPWH Facebook post.

A resident told Dizon that the funds allocated for the project may have been pocketed, leaving it unfinished.

"Totoo iyan, kung hindi ninakaw iyong pera, dapat walang ganito," Dizon replied. (That's true. If the money had not been stolen, this would not have happened.)

The DPWH Secretary also said he planned to raise the entire area where the communities were living along the river.

Dizon said a master plan intended to address the river's flooding problems had already been prepared but was never implemented. He said the DPWH would review the plan and move forward with its implementation.

Dizon has also ordered dredging operations in other areas in Mindanao hit by floods, including General Santos City. —Jean Mangaluz/LDF, GMA News