ANGELES CITY — Heavy rains last Friday swelled the Balibago Creek in the business district of this city not only with rampaging flood waters but all sorts of debris, damaging a portion of the riprap in two sitios, where a house was washed away, along with three children.
Two of the kids were saved by responding purok leaders, bantay bayan, and the Balibago barangay rescue team. The third, a 3-year-old was found dead the next day downstream of the Abacan River near Jaoville Compound in Barangay Pandan.
Even as he extended his condolences to the family of the deceased, Balibago chairman Tony Mamac called for the relocation of all informal settlers along the banks of the Balibago Creek. which has long been declared a “danger zone.”
Rued Mamac: “Ang Balibago Creek ay hindi konektado sa anumang ilog ngunit nag-umpisa ang pangamba namin na magdudulot ito ng panganib sa buhay at ari-arian dahil sa mga water outfall o daluyan ng tubig ulan mula sa mga bagong subdivision, re-alignment ng drainage system ng Clark (Freeport) at ng SM Mall.”
Mamac recalled that a similar swelling of the creek that caused heavy damages on business establishments along its banks including hotels, restaurants, a school, and homes even prompted a personal inspection of the area by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo along with her Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. that resulted to its being tagged a danger zone. — from TM FB page
