Be a builder of dreams, not a prophet of doom! — Gina de V to Mayor Lim
REPRESENTATIVE Gina de Venecia admits she was saddened by the comments made by Mayor Benjie Lim that appeared in a national broadsheet, alleging that Dagupan City will be under water in 15 years.
In the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s July 11 article “Dagupan under water in 15 years, says mayor”, Lim was quoted as saying, “Rising sea water level and ground subsidence could put a big section of this bustling coastal city permanently under water in the next 15 years…”
“A leader is a problem solver, not a prophet of doom,” said De Venecia, adding that unfounded conjecture like this by a city mayor no less will send a wrong signal to residents and investors.
De Venecia also took offense at Lim’s jab at her many road construction projects as the cause of flood. Lim said in the article that the flooding was also aggravated by the construction of elevated roads that impede flow of water to river systems.
“These major road projects are integral in our city’s development and shouldn’t be maligned as menace,” said De Venecia.
“The flood during Typhoon Pepeng that sank ninety percent of our city was an eye opener for me. I learned that the only lifeline that anchored Dagupan to nearby towns was the elevated De Venecia bridge and hi-way. That’s when I promised to prioritize the rebuilding of Dagupan’s road network because I couldn’t allow the city to be displaced from the commercial map of Pangasinan,” she said.
De Venecia’s hunch was proven right when the finished Bonuan Gueset road and sections of Mayombo and Tapuac roads stood the test of the recent monsoon and remained passable and flood-free.
Among De Venecia’s seven major road projects in the city that are being implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are the construction of drainage system and road of Arellano- Bani, Mayombo, Tapuac and Lucao.
The DPWH also released a statement that the perennial knee-deep water that haunts motorist who pass at the junction of the old De Venecia Highway that connects to Lingayen, Calasiao and this city will soon be a thing of the past as it is also among the identified priority projects of De Venecia.
Furthermore, the lawmaker announced that before the year ends, the entire stretch of A.B. Fernandez Street that covers the city’s commercial district will be elevated by one meter.
Dagupan is among the major beneficiaries of De Venecia’s multi-million public works funds for upgrading of concrete roads and reconstruction of drainage systems. Contrary to critics’ claim, the congressmen should be credited for these infra-projects because the appropriation of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) is their valid and constitutional exercise.
De Venecia hopes that with the help of a sound infrastructure and responsible decisions by local leaders, Dagupan will be able to reclaim its former glory.
“We used to be number one,” she mused. “During the 90s, the term of former President Fidel Ramos, my husband, then Speaker Joe de Venecia and Mayor Al Fernandez, was considered the golden years of Dagupan. Numero uno tayo sa kinikitang pera, maayos ang mga infrastructure, at masigla ang komersyo.”
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