Repair of Arayat flood control finished in April at no cost to gov’t – SDS Gonzales
THE damaged flood control project in Candating, Arayat, Pampanga, will be repaired at no cost to the government, according to Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr.
“The project, a 110.2-meter flood mitigation structure, suffered damage due to a combination of natural forces and design vulnerabilities,” Gonzales, a civil engineer, told a consultation meeting this week at the House of Representatives.
The consultation was attended by officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and local executives.
“The repair is expected to be completed by April 2025 at no cost to the government, as the project is still under warranty (by the contractor),” said Gonzales, whose district includes the town of Arayat.
“Officials are also considering additional measures to prevent future occurrences,” he said.
A part of the flood control structure collapsed at the height Super Typhoon Carina last August.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the DENR looked into the incident and concluded that the cave-in “resulted from riverbank failure caused by over-saturation of the underlying soil layers with groundwater brought about by heavy rainfalls from Super Typhoon Carina and enhanced southwest monsoon.”
During the meeting, Gonzales also addressed speculations that he and his family were the contractor of the Candating flood control project.
“Marami pong fake news ang kumakalat na pilit inuugnay ako at ang aking pamilya sa pagkasira ng dike. Para sa kaalaman ng lahat, wala po akong kinalaman, o ang aking pamilya, sa implementasyon ng programang ito,” he said.
“Nililinaw ko po na ang tanging kontribusyon ko ay maghanap ng pondo upang magpagawa ng mga mahahalagang proyekto sa ikatlong distrito ng Pampanga, katulad ng Candating dike. Yun lamang po. Malaki po ang pasalamat ko sa DPWH at nasama ang proyektong ito sa kanilang priority programs,” he said.
“And just to set the record straight: hindi po ako ang contractor ng Candating dike. Wala po akong kinalaman, o ang aking pamilya, kung papaano na-implement ang proyektong ito,” he stressed.
Gonzales assured his constituents that despite the malicious innuendoes, he would continue to work for the improvement of his district and the province of Pampanga.
“Tuloy-tuloy lang po ang trabaho natin. Hindi tayo papatinag sa mga nagkakalat ng mga maling impormasyon. Iniimbitahan ko silang tumulong sa pag-unlad ng probinsya. Nawa’y unahin nila ang Pampanga, kaysa ang mga sarili nila,” he said.
The DPWH has confirmed that Gonzales or his family was not the contractor of the Candating project. It identified the contractor as Eddmari Construction and Trading Co.
