DAVAO CITY (September 29) — For families in San Juan Village, Barangay Bangkal, the three-meter-high wall rising along the Talomo River is more than a P100-million government project.
It is a test of whether flood-control spending will deliver protection before the next disaster.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon inspected the project Monday, saying construction is now 80 percent complete, two months after the Talomo River spilled into nearby communities.
The 109-meter-long gabion wall is targeted for completion in December, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The project followed the July 24 flooding, when heavy rains caused the Talomo River to overflow, sending floodwater and mud into low-lying areas and affecting thousands of families.
Among those hit was the household of 47-year-old Marlon Balabis, whose home was submerged.
Dizon spoke with Balabis during the inspection and described the situation bluntly.
“Nakakaawa. Malaki ang pagkukulang dito sa flood mitigation natin dito sa Talomo,” Dizon said. (It’s pitiful. There was a major shortcoming in flood mitigation here in Talomo.)
The new wall is intended to strengthen the riverbank and reduce flood risks. But the project remains unfinished, and another major component—the elevation of the Bailey Bridge—will come only after the gabion wall is completed.
Dizon said the bridge is now almost at the same level as the new wall.
For residents, the real measure of the P100-million project will not be the percentage of construction completed or the December deadline.
It will be whether the wall, the elevated bridge and the broader flood-control system can keep floodwater out of their homes when the next heavy rains come.
The July flooding exposed what Dizon himself called a major gap in flood mitigation. The government now has to show that the costly response will translate into lasting protection for the families who bore the consequences of that gap.
Dizon left Davao after the inspection and proceeded to General Santos City.
