MAYOR Belen Fernandez reported to the city residents after her early morning inspection on July 25 of roadways elevated by the Department of Public Works and Highways, that there was not a single sign of flooding except in few areas where work were still going on.

The mayor said that finding ‘no flooding’ in those traditionally heavily flooded areas is a vindication of her decision to ask the DPWH to elevate these roads to finally put an end to the perennial flooding in those roads.

In previous years, these roads usually became not passable to motor vehicles, except to motorboats and bancas with that kind of rainfall that was experienced in Dagupan last week.

She lamented that several secondary roads area still submerged with floodwaters, like the Hererro-Perez Road at the back of SM Center Dagupan, which is now all set to be elevated, Jovellano Street beside the Saint John the Evangelist Cathedral, whose construction was funded in the supplemental budget that remains pending at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Fernandez admitted that the PNR Road where east-bound public utility vehicles are exiting but will soon be fixed at the expense of the Dagupan City government.

During her inspection, she noted that flooding exists in front of the office of SSS on A.B. Fernandez Avenue East, which is the next segment to be elevated as the DPWH regional office already secured funding for its extension up the PNR railroad tract.

She added that funding for the elevation of the road from in front of the Dagupan City National High School till in front of YMCA and onto Perez Boulevard with a water out pool to be located beside the Nazareth Hospital was already secured by DPWH.

She maintained that flooding in many low-lying barangay roads could have been effectively addressed had the seven majority councilors passed the supplemental budget requested by her administration since 2022 since the city of Dagupan has enough savings and surpluses.

Fernandez said Dagupan and Pangasinan are luckier than Manila and the rest of the National Capital Region where the floods are widespread because of the continuing heavy monsoon rains.

Meanwhile, Mayor Fernandez placed the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and others on alert last Thursday for the  evacuation of residents living in low-lying areas and danger zones after noting that water level of the Sinocalan-Pantal River was rising fast due to continuing heavy monsoon rains triggered by Typhoon Carina.

Fernandez also declared the suspension of classes in all levels in Dagupan, and work in government and private offices on July 25, anticipating heavy rains due to red rainfall warning by PAGASA. (Leonardo Micua)

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