Zeroing in on my Buloy, floods & Guv Spines

By Al S. Mendoza

MY mole says my Buloy Al Fernandez won’t run for mayor in Dagupan in 2013.

“It’s not in my agenda right now,” my mole quotes my Buloy Al as saying after their chance meeting at Dagupena.

That does not surprise me, of course.

Knowing my Buloy, he’s merely keeping his cards close to his chest.  A surefire player, he’ll only strike when the bull’s-eye is on sight.

But this early, the signs are already ominous.

“In surveys,” my mole says, “your Buloy Al always comes out on top as the one most likely to become Dagupan’s next mayor in 2013.”

That does not surprise me, too.

*      *       *      *

Now to the floods that pester not only us but also virtually the rest of the archipelago.

As I keep saying, the rains ruin us yearly.

And with the rains come the floods, too.

How many presidents have we had, from Aguinaldo to Aquino?

Has anyone of them done something to control the floods?

Darn, none!

For sure, no one can stop the rains from falling but, hey, surely, we can control floods from wreaking havoc on us – if not totally stop the yearly destruction it inflicts on lives and property.

OK, let me restrict my thesis to our beloved Pangasinan, to include dear Dagupan, too.

It’s like this.

Yearly, we also suffer from lack of rain during summer, at times causing damage to our water-starved crops.

Sadly, we also struggle with our irrigation facilities.

Know what?

Tap the San Roque Dam in San Manuel as our No. 1 ally in flood-control.

All this time, San Roque, sadly, has been a major cause of flooding due to our penchant to release its waters when continuous rains raise its level to an alarming rate.

Now, instead of throwing away precious water, why don’t we build a water reservoir that will catch the forced water spillage from San Roque?

This stored water can be harnessed during summer for use by our farmers lacking in irrigation facilities.

Isn’t that shooting two birds with one stone:  Control floods caused by the San Roque dam and give the waters back to our poor, perennially flood-hit farmers?

This might not be an original but I need to say it again, though, if only to stress the obvious:  Let’s do it.  Now.

And for the entire province of Pangasinan, this: Let’s tap each of all our 46 (48?) towns to build its own water reservoir.

You’ll be surprised but it’s easy as ABC:  Establish a barangay or two suited for the reservoir and that’s it.

It just takes a little imagination, I tell you.

For Dagupan, since it is said that it’s below the sea level, two or even three or four barangays can be tapped for the water reservoir.

Believe and anything can be done.  As we love to say, it just needs political will to do what is best for the people.

Guv Spines has done a lot of good things already for the province.  This one, I honestly believe, is worth taking a shot.

And get this, Guv:  This flood-control idea of mine isn’t only cheap.

It is also for free.

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