The Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) VI passed a resolution requesting the Senate and House of Representatives to fund the rehabilitation of the infrastructure projects damaged by Typhoon Paeng during its special meeting on November 15, 2022 at NEDA VI in Iloilo City.

It was a blended meeting with a total of 74 participants from the Senate, House of Representatives, national government agencies, local government units, and private sector organizations.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas who chairs the IDC VI led the discussion and encouraged the officials to support the request for funding to rebuild the damaged infrastructure projects. “This is vital for the recovery of Western Visayas, especially Panay Island where the Province of Antique was cut off from the rest of the provinces. We should act fast and catch up with the schedule of the budget legislation,” said Treñas.

DPWH-VI ARD Al V. Fruto presented the inventory of 119 damaged infrastructure projects from 12 of the 16 district engineering offices.  An estimated PHP1.783 billion is needed for its restoration.

Presentations were also made on the Cogon-Hamulauon Floodway Project by ARD Fruto and the Panay River Basin Integrated Development Project by NIA VI Regional Manager Rory F. Avance as part of the effort to make the region more resilient from future disasters.  Similarly, a briefer was presented by DENR VI on the state of major river systems in Panay Island and strategies to mitigate flooding in the river basins.

The urgency to complete the projects to avoid similar tragedies in the future was emphasized. The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) has already approved the renewal of the Certification Precondition which was awarded to NIA VI during the meeting.  In the period of one year, NIA will finalize the survey works and activities within the ancestral domain to complete the project’s detailed engineering design.

Brought up during the meeting was the proposal to have a Regional Learning Center for DRRM in Iloilo City. Iloilo City DRRMO Chief Donna P. Magno shared lesson on the use of sensors in detecting the water level in critical areas, geohazard mapping, flood forecasting and simulation, and inter-stakeholders collaboration.

Copies of the resolution were sent to the Office of the President, Senators of the 19th Congress and all district and party-list representatives of Western Visayas to solicit their support and approval. /EBFernandez NEDA VI-PMED