SANTO TOMAS -- Mayor Johnny Sambo said the waterways clearing program facilitated by local government here will be finished earlier than the set timeline.
Sambo, together with Vice Governor Dennis Pineda, City of San Fernando Mayor Edwin Santiago and Minalin town Mayor Edgar Flores, whose localities were severely affected by flooding caused by monsoon rains, earlier said that the project, intended to ease floodwaters toward Manila Bay, is expected to end in two to three months.
However, Sambo said the local government here is working double time to ensure that the same flooding incident will not be experienced by people again.
"Even weekends and holidays ay nagtatrabaho po talaga kami para mapabilis po yung project dahil ito po ay isang urgent matter na kinakailangan din ng urgent solution (We work even on weekends and holidays to speed up the project, which is an urgent matter that needs an urgent solution)," he said.
He added that some one kilometer of the waterway from the boundary of this town and the City of San Fernando’s Mapalad Creek, to Sto. Rosario Pau River has already been cleared of water hyacinths and the declogging of another kilometer of rivers and tributaries going to Minalin town is ongoing.
"We are expecting a shorter period ngayon kasi we are really working overtime. Ang target ko dito by September 15 na-clear na lahat ng tributaries natin (We target to clear all our tributaries by September 15)," he said.
Sambo expressed his gratitude to Vice Governor Pineda, fourth district Representative Juan Pablo Bondoc, Santiago, Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PamCham) led by its Chairman Emeritus Levy Laus, who generously shared their equipment and resources to speed up the project.
Sambo said that Pineda and the City Government of San Fernando lent a backhoe on barge each, the public works with a Watermaster equipment, Laus with his personal long arm backhoe, and PamCham and Bondoc provided fuel.
He said his personal telescopic with clamshell backhoe is also working together with the other equipment.
Sambo stressed that dredging and desilting of the rivers, waterways and tributaries will follow to avert the flooding in the city and other towns of Pampanga.
