DEPUTY Speaker Yevgeny Vincente Emano on August 20 welcomed the directive of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vivencio Dizon to immediately dredge the Tagoloan river in Misamis Oriental.
This after Emano – also the concurrent congressman of the second district of the province where Tagoloan belongs – informed Dizon of an impending danger once a Sendong-like flood will occur in the area.
Tropical storm Sendong, which happened in 2011, caused the deaths of 1,268 persons in nearby Cagayan de Oro City when the river swelled due to a lack of flood control project. Today, the river has since been protected by a dike.
Emano feared that if the river in his hometown of Tagoloan would experience a Sendong-level event, many facilities in the area including several factories in the Phividec Industrial Authority, the Tagoloan Polymedic General Hospital, two public schools and several residential houses would be wiped out.
The congressman was originally hoping that DPWH would calendar a Cagayan de Oro-like dike project in the vicinity but he is already more than happy that dredging would be a temporary respite for now.
“The mouth of Tagoloan river is already filled with silt and mag-accumulate ug mag-accumulate kana upstream. So I thank DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon nga iyang gi-grant ang atong hangyo nga ma-dredge ang bukana sa Tagoloan river,” he said.
At the same time, Dizon also vowed to fast-track the ongoing rehabilitation of the 58-year-old Tagoloan bridge which is divided into three sections.
During an inspection last August 20, Dizon promised that the third section of the bridge will finish construction by next year to relieve the two-way traffic of the second section which is what motorists are currently using.
The original section would then be elevated to match the height of the new ones and is expected to complete by 2028 before President Marcos exits his term.
The original and the second sections would then be used for two-way traffic, leaving the newest third section as emergency lane, bicycle lane and pedestrian lane.
Dizon was in Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental to inspect various infra projects implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). PHOTO COURTESY OF CONGRESSMAN BAMBI EMANO
