Flooding at 11 riverside barangays in Oton town, Province of Iloilo has been worsened purportedly by a flood mitigation structure.

When intense rains poured in July 2025, the situation in 11 flood-prone barangays was reportedly aggravated.

Residents had to endure rising floodwaters that took time to recede.

The said flood mitigation structure has been blamed for the narrowing of Mohon Creek in Arevalo District, Iloilo City.

“Ang pinakamalaking pagkakaiba ngayon is nanatili ang tubig baha at tumagal ng ilang araw. So it was days na inconvenient sa ating mga residente,” Malvin Nad, head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office-Oton, said.

According to Barangay Mohon Chairman Rico Francisco Acap, they were consulted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on the said structure, but the agency failed to secure a barangay permit prior to project construction in January 2025.

The project has three sections. Section 1 is worth over P143 million, Section 2 is worth over P119 million, while works on Section 3 have not commenced yet.

“Noong panahong yun ng bagyo, nagulat ako sa bahay na tinawagan ako, na sa barangay hall mataas na ang tubig," Acap said.

According to a status report of DPWH-Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) furnished to the Local Government Unit of Iloilo City, as of July 31, 2025, 42.31 percent of Section 1 is marked completed, while Section 2 is marked 82.63 percent complete.

However, another bulletin on a project worth nearly P91 million has no project details and cannot be found in the status report.

According to Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas, the project plan has not been followed.

The project would have been an esplanade, or bike lane and ambulance lane; but several plant boxes were placed on the middle instead.

“Hindi naman makapasok ang sasakyan na despite sa kanilang public hearing, para ito sa ambulance. Hindi ko maintindihan kung ano ang tawag sa gitna. First time kong nakita,” Treñas said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has also investigated on whether the project observed the three-meter easement at riverbanks.

“Kung titingnan natin, dapat walang structure dyan. Ngunit kung ang structure is for public service or public use, like esplanade, dyan siya. Ngunit may sinasabi, i-respect mo talaga ang body of water, doon ka sa easement,” said Armin Halili, head of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office-Guimbal.

GMA Regional TV One Western Visayas tried to seek a comment from DPWH-ICDEO but it has not issued a statement yet, as of this writing.