PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has committed to immediate corrective action on the flood control structures in Barangay Frances, Calumpit, Bulacan, assuring residents that their safety and welfare will remain a top priority.
The assurance followed the President’s on-site inspection of the area’s flood mitigation structure on Friday, where he found evidence of substandard materials and incomplete dredging works despite official reports claiming the project’s completion.
The President’s visit took on greater urgency as a resident personally handed a heartfelt letter to the Office of the President about the damaged dike behind his property.
In the letter, the resident described how the structure had been built with a weak cement mix—15 sacks of gravel, 15 sacks of sand, and only two sacks of cement—reinforced with thin steel bars that left it dangerously fragile.
Less than a year after its completion, deep cracks had already appeared, yet inspections yielded no repairs.
The resident also reported that some sections built by other contractors used just water hyacinth as fill, raising further doubts about durability.
The resident urged that the entire Barangay Frances floodgate be widened so that water in the rice fields could drain as quickly as the Bulacan and Pampanga Rivers during floods.
“Sana po ay mapaayos ang mga nasirang dike dito sa amin… Sana mabigyan ng pansin ang hiling ng Barangay Frances,” the resident appealed, noting that floods in the area can last from one to four months before subsiding.
President Marcos welcomed similar reports filed and detailed in sumbongsapangulo.ph, stressing that firsthand reports from the public are critical in identifying and correcting project flaws.
The President warned that both government officials and private contractors involved in such irregularities will be held accountable.
“Hahanapin natin kung sinong responsible dito sa gobyerno at sa private, at kailangan managot sila… Huwag silang managot sa akin, managot sila sa mga tao dito, President Marcos said, underscoring that the real victims of poor-quality projects are the communities left vulnerable to flooding. |
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