ANGELES CITY – “Hindi po lamang ang kapabayaan ang problema sa Taug dike kung hindi ang mga pulitiko mismo (The problem is not just apparent neglect of Taug dike but the politicians themselves.”
Thus said residents of Barangay Cuayan here where the damaged Taug Dike is located as they blamed “wanton” quarrying at the boundaries of the village and Barangay Manuali in Porac town. The Taug dike also has a portion in Barangay Anunas, here.
The residents who asked for anonymity said there was rampant quarrying near the dike causing its damage near the residential area in Cuayan and at the boundaries of Cuayan and Manuali.
The residents stressed that “illegal quarrying would not be done without the blessings of elective officials.”
“Just for a few passway tolls and quarry fees they put to risk the lives of people and multi-billion investments in Angeles,” they added.
Residents expressed suspicion here that politicians could have allowed illegal quarrhying as part of “fund-raising for election.”
Cuayan Village chief Arturo Candelaria, in a text message, admitted there was quarrying in Manuali before but not anymore. He denied any quarrying in his village.
“Ala quari Cuayan sir, keta aldo banda Manuali ngeni ala na,” said his text message to Punto.
Destruction
Both residents and investors in the downstream areas of the damaged Taug Dike have expressed alarm over the danger it poses.
Ruperto Cruz, co-owner of the multi-billion peso Royal Garden Golf and Country Club feared a “wider swathe of destruction than that happened at the time of the Pinatubo eruptions when rampaging lahar swamped areas where Enclave now rests, parts of Carmenville and Emerald and flooded downtown Angeles City, including upscale Villa Teresa.”
“The contour of the waterways fed by Taug are now so ill defined that floodwaters could just hit anywhere,” Cruz said.
Cruz deplored the reported illegal quarrying in the areas around Taug Dike as “a great crime against the people.”
“An investigation is warranted on the barangay and local officials of both Angeles and Porac for the damage on the dike. If they knew of the quarrying there, then they are guilty of negligence, if they did not, then they are as guilty of ignorance, of failing to do their job on both counts,” Cruz said. .
Cruz likewise asked where the funds for maintaining the dike were spent.
“Instead of spending government money for repairing the dike, the quarry operators who damaged it with their enterprise, legal or otherwise, should be made to shoulder the cost of the repair,” Cruz said.
As this developed, Cuayan residents urged an investigation into the alleged plan to create a subdivision just beside the Taug Dike at the bounderies of Manuali and Cuayan. They added that “officials do not learn from the lessons” from the recent destructive floodings in Metro Manila.
“You don’t create houses near a body of water. How come there is plan to do one in Cuayan,” they said.
Earlier, Candelaria toured Punto to the damaged portions of Taug and showed the site where they plan to build a residential area.
Residents expressed alarm over the damages at the dike as it collapsed at least four times over the last 40 years – 1967, 1971, 1982 and 1991 –flooding several areas in the city.
Repair
Cuayan barangay chief Candelaria said Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno had ordered the repair of the dike which has started. He added that the damaged portions of the dike are “now OK.”
Candelaria and Anunas Village Chief Lito Ganzon had reportedly refused to join a live television interview over CLTV 36 last week as “Ganzon did not want to step on the toes of some politicians,” said a source who asked for anonymity.
Mayoralty aspirant Balibago Village Chief Tony Mamac and Salapungan Barangay Captain Robert Yeen were instead interviewed by John Susi, host of the program.
Thus said residents of Barangay Cuayan here where the damaged Taug Dike is located as they blamed “wanton” quarrying at the boundaries of the village and Barangay Manuali in Porac town. The Taug dike also has a portion in Barangay Anunas, here.
The residents who asked for anonymity said there was rampant quarrying near the dike causing its damage near the residential area in Cuayan and at the boundaries of Cuayan and Manuali.
The residents stressed that “illegal quarrying would not be done without the blessings of elective officials.”
“Just for a few passway tolls and quarry fees they put to risk the lives of people and multi-billion investments in Angeles,” they added.
Residents expressed suspicion here that politicians could have allowed illegal quarrhying as part of “fund-raising for election.”
Cuayan Village chief Arturo Candelaria, in a text message, admitted there was quarrying in Manuali before but not anymore. He denied any quarrying in his village.
“Ala quari Cuayan sir, keta aldo banda Manuali ngeni ala na,” said his text message to Punto.
Destruction
Both residents and investors in the downstream areas of the damaged Taug Dike have expressed alarm over the danger it poses.
Ruperto Cruz, co-owner of the multi-billion peso Royal Garden Golf and Country Club feared a “wider swathe of destruction than that happened at the time of the Pinatubo eruptions when rampaging lahar swamped areas where Enclave now rests, parts of Carmenville and Emerald and flooded downtown Angeles City, including upscale Villa Teresa.”
“The contour of the waterways fed by Taug are now so ill defined that floodwaters could just hit anywhere,” Cruz said.
Cruz deplored the reported illegal quarrying in the areas around Taug Dike as “a great crime against the people.”
“An investigation is warranted on the barangay and local officials of both Angeles and Porac for the damage on the dike. If they knew of the quarrying there, then they are guilty of negligence, if they did not, then they are as guilty of ignorance, of failing to do their job on both counts,” Cruz said. .
Cruz likewise asked where the funds for maintaining the dike were spent.
“Instead of spending government money for repairing the dike, the quarry operators who damaged it with their enterprise, legal or otherwise, should be made to shoulder the cost of the repair,” Cruz said.
As this developed, Cuayan residents urged an investigation into the alleged plan to create a subdivision just beside the Taug Dike at the bounderies of Manuali and Cuayan. They added that “officials do not learn from the lessons” from the recent destructive floodings in Metro Manila.
“You don’t create houses near a body of water. How come there is plan to do one in Cuayan,” they said.
Earlier, Candelaria toured Punto to the damaged portions of Taug and showed the site where they plan to build a residential area.
Residents expressed alarm over the damages at the dike as it collapsed at least four times over the last 40 years – 1967, 1971, 1982 and 1991 –flooding several areas in the city.
Repair
Cuayan barangay chief Candelaria said Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno had ordered the repair of the dike which has started. He added that the damaged portions of the dike are “now OK.”
Candelaria and Anunas Village Chief Lito Ganzon had reportedly refused to join a live television interview over CLTV 36 last week as “Ganzon did not want to step on the toes of some politicians,” said a source who asked for anonymity.
Mayoralty aspirant Balibago Village Chief Tony Mamac and Salapungan Barangay Captain Robert Yeen were instead interviewed by John Susi, host of the program.
