MALOLOS CITY— To alleviate flooding in Bulacan that damaged crops, properties and infrastructures worth hundreds of millions of pesos, Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado called for the revival of the mothballed Pampanga Delta Development Project phase II (PDDP-II)
The same project was opposed by Bulakenyos led by former Gov. Roberto Pagdanganan in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
Alvarado said the project will alleviate perennial flooding being experienced in the first district of Bulacan, specifically in Hagonoy and Calumpit.
Both towns suffered from back floods after the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy in 2009 and after the heavy monsoon rains last week.
Last year, both towns recorded the deepest flood in history after typhoons Pedring and Quiel pummelled the province.
On Saturday, Alvarado announced that he will convene the infrastructure committee of the Regional Development Council of Central Luzon this week to meet with Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson.
The RDC infrastructure committee which Alvarado chairs earlier made the proposal to revive the project.
Based on his earlier pronouncements, Alvarado said that the Project Management Office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has come up with a number of revised designs for the revival of the PDDP-II.
One proposal said that the DPWH will build a high concrete wall on the embankment of the Labangan Floodway in Hagonoy and desilt it to increase water holding capacity.
Alvarado noted that said design will mean less dislocation of residents living on the edge of the man-made Labangan floodway which was dug in the ‘70s to address the series of month long flood in Bulacan that occurred every two years from 1972 to 1978.
The said design was verbally endorsed by Alvarado and Mayors James de Jesus of Calumpit and Angel Cruz of Hagonoy.
In the mid-80s, the Labangan Floodway was proposed to be linked with the PDDP-I in Masantol, Macabebe and Apalit town in Pampanga.
But it was opposed by Bulakenyos who feared that at least eight villages in Calumpit and Hagonoy will be erased from the map.
This is due to planned widening of the Labangan floodway.
