By CESAR JOLITO III
With the national government’s decision to scrap funding for flood control projects in the 2026 national budget, Bacolod City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez is now exploring alternative funding sources to sustain the maintenance of existing drainage systems and prevent further flooding in the city.
Benitez’s spokesperson, Councilor Caesar Distrito, said the lawmaker is already coordinating with the City Engineer’s Office and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for a joint effort to address the city’s worsening flood problem.
“Congressman Benitez instructed the DPWH to ensure that all drainage systems and waterways are cleared of blockages. Even without new funding for flood control projects, maintenance must continue,” Distrito said during the inauguration and blessing of the Bacolod congressional office along Burgos Extension.
Benitez earlier confirmed that the P152-million diversion channel project at the Reclamation Area will face delays following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s decision to redirect P252 billion in funds — originally intended for locally funded flood control initiatives — toward education, health and housing.
The reallocation effectively halts the release of the final P100 million tranche intended for Bacolod’s diversion channel project, a major infrastructure component meant to ease flooding in the city’s central and coastal areas.
The funding setback comes just as Bacolod continues to grapple with recurring floods.
On Thursday night, October 9, at least 130 families, or 375 individuals, were forced to evacuate from various barangays in the city as floodwaters rose to as high as four feet in some low-lying areas.
All evacuees have since returned home, but residents remain anxious about the city’s readiness for the next downpour.
Distrito said Benitez remains committed to working with local and national agencies to secure funds for immediate drainage upkeep and flood mitigation, even if large-scale infrastructure projects are put on hold.
“We may have lost funding for new flood control projects, but we cannot lose momentum in protecting Bacolodnons from flooding,” Distrito emphasized./CJ, WDJ