By CESAR JOLITO III
Binalbagan Mayor Manuel Aranda has assured residents that the flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the municipality are intact, functional and free from irregularities.
According to Aranda, the structures — designed to channel excess water from rivers toward the sea — continue to serve their purpose of reducing flooding risks in the town.
“These projects exist and are operational. There are no problems or missing projects here in Binalbagan,” the mayor emphasized.
Records from DPWH show that Binalbagan ranks among the municipalities in Negros Occidental with the highest number of completed flood control initiatives, totaling 29.
Most of these were implemented under previous administrations, Aranda added.
However, since the start of his term, no additional flood control projects have been allocated by the DPWH for the municipality.
Based on DPWH data, Negros Occidental is the 12th province in the Philippines with the most flood control projects completed since 2022.
Data from isumbong-sapangulo.ph revealed that 23 towns and cities in Negros Occidental have already benefited from Department of Public Works and Highways-funded flood control projects since 2022.
Bacolod City topped the list with 47 projects, followed by Binalbagan with 29, while the cities of Silay and Victorias have 16 each.
The cities of Cadiz, Talisay and San Carlos had 12 projects each; Kabankalan City had 10 projects; Sagay City and La Castellana had six each; while Bago City, as well as the towns of Manapla and Ilog, had four projects each.
Don Salvador Benedicto, E.B. Magalona, Valladolid, and Sipalay City had three projects each, while La Carlota City, San Enrique, Pulupandan, Pontevedra, and Calatrava had two projects each.
Himamaylan City had one project.
The projects form part of the national government’s ongoing effort to strengthen infrastructure against flooding, which remains one of the biggest threats to agriculture, livelihoods and communities in the province.
The data comes at a time when flood control projects in Negros Occidental have drawn public scrutiny, with calls for greater transparency and accountability over the selection of contractors, project costs, and quality of implementation./CJ, WDJ