In a bid to maximize the use of its vehicles and equipment while conserving fuel, the city’s Ancillary Services Unit (ASU) is giving flood-prone areas priority for canal clearing and rodding.
ASU Head Paul Bermejo, in an interview Monday, bared that they consider these “urgent and important areas.”
“Ginapili lang namo considering urgent and important areas, especially kadtong last na ulan, so nagbaha man diri sa Bolton, San Pedro diha sa may kilid sa San Pedro Cathedral and kilid sa Radio Station sa San Pedro Quirino. So mag deploy mi og rodding team sa duha ka
area kay crucial mani diri kay main city thoroughfare (We selected areas based on urgency and importance, especially those affected by the recent rainfall. There was flooding here in Bolton and San Pedro—particularly along the side of San Pedro Cathedral and near the radio station along San Pedro–Quirino. So we will deploy a rodding team to these two areas because they are critical, as they are part of the city’s main thoroughfare.)” he said.
He said that they will ensure the canals in the areas mentioned are cleared, as these are main thoroughfares used not just by motorists but also by pedestrians.
Bermejo said that they are combining their teams to maximize the use of their vehicles.
“For the barangays nagadawat gihapon mi og request pero ginatan-aw namo kung importante ba gyud, gina-tan aw nato kung naa sila brigade nila kay kung naa magpadala nalang mi og pila ka tao didto para mu-assist nalang sa ilaha (For the barangays, we are still accepting requests, but we assess whether they are truly important. We also check if they have their own brigade; if they do, we will just send a few personnel to assist them),” he said.
He said that their office aims to cut fuel consumption because much of their budget already goes to fuel expenses.
Meanwhile, as for the control of sidewalk vendors, he said that they still allow vendors to sell, but only during certain hours.
Bermejo said that they continue to push barangays and subdivisions to have counterparts of the ASU in their communities.
He urged homeowners to act proactively by cleaning canals near their houses, as this will not only help their office but also help keep communities safe from flooding incidents. CIO