Olivarez hopes continuous clean-up drive will make Paranaque flood-free
PARAÑAQUE CITY Mayor Edwin Olivarez on Thursday expressed satisfaction over reports that no major flooding has occurred in the city despite the heavy monsoon rains dumped in Metro Manila by typhoons Egay and Falcon that came one after the other this week.
Mayor Olivarez who personally visited some of the traditionally flood prone areas and villages in the city was elated to see that the flooding that used to torment the residents in the said areas was virtually non-existent.
Among the usually flood–prone areas that he personally checked are Villanueva Creek in Brgy. San Dionisio and the diversion channel in C-5 Moonwalk and other nearby villages.
He then credited the city government’s year-round clean-up drive of its waterways and creeks as the main reason why the heavy rains brought by Egay and Falcon failed to bring the city streets and villages under water.
“Nakikita po natin dito na ang susi talaga sa paglutas ng anumang suliranin ay ang maayos na pagpapatupad ng mga itinakdang programa at ganoon din naman ang pagtutulungan ng ating lokal na pamahalaan at ng mga mamamayan” the mayor said.
He was referring to various programs mainly initiated by City Environment & Natural Resources Office (CENRO) that has been conducting clean-ups of waterways and creeks through its Operation Linis Ilog/Estero (Rivers/Creeks Clean-Up).
The campaign has already netted them thousands of tons of waste matter in the entire city from January last year up to the current year. This clean-up is still on-going as well as in Freedom Island, where thousands of tons of garbage were also collected in the same period.
In the previous years, the city has been plagued with mountains of garbage in various streets of its 16 villages until Mayor Olivarez in compliance with Manila Bay Continuing Mandamus, tasked the CENRO to conduct a year round clean up drive while also working with other agencies such as the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Commercial establishments were also instructed to strictly follow the proper ways on how to discharge their refuse.
Mayor Olivarez also strictly complied with the continuing Supreme Court by convincing informal settler families (ISFs) to move out from the so-called danger zones and transfer to relocation sites where they can be safe and could live decently.
The move proved successful as it also paved the way for the clearing of major waterways and tributaries in the city.
The Urban Mission Areas Development Office (UMADO) succeeded in relocating thousands of ISFs to their new houses in at least three barangays in Trece Martires, Cavite especially those from Riverside 1 and 2 and Brgy.Tambo.
The city government also teamed–up with MMDA in conducting the 3-in 1 clean-up program that started last February 17 and ended last July 11 that specifically aimed at freeing waterways to avoid flooding during the rainy months and also educate the people on how to properly comply with the Solid Waste Management Act.
“Kailangan lang talaga ang ating pagkakaisa upang panatilihin ang kalinisan ng mga estero at iba pang daluyan ng tubig upang sa ganoon ay maiwasan natin ang problemang dulot ng pagbabaha. Bukod dito, kailangan ding magkaroon ng sapat na impormasyon ang mga tao upang mahikayat silang tumulong sa pagpapanatili ng kaayusan at kalinisan sa kanilang mga lugar” the mayor stressed.
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