PILAR, Bataan -- The national government has allotted P55 million for various flood-control projects in this 3rd-class municipality.
Mayor Alice Pizarro, in a press briefing last Tuesday afternoon, said the fund will be used for the construction of a dike that started last month. Pizarro said she expects that when the said project is completed, the flood-prone barangays (villages) here namely Nagwaling, Panilao, Alauli, and portions of Poblacion and Del Rosario will greatly benefit from it.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 2nd Engineering District is the implementing agency of the project.
The rechanneling of Talisay River comprising the towns of Pilar, Orion and Balanga City is also undergoing.
The said river is the main waterway in the central side of the province that usually overflows in times of heavy rains during strong typhoons causing massive flooding in low-lying villages.
"In observance of the Disaster Preparedness Consciousness Month this month of July, we recently conducted a risk ownership seminar that aims to identify the residential houses near the danger zones such as rivers and seas, especially in times of calamities like earthquake, typhoons and flash floods," Pizarro narrated.
Aerial photos and videos of the municipality were also taken on board the provincial government's Robinson helicopter to document the present geological structure to guide the municipal disaster and risk reduction management council in their rescue procedures, planning, etc.
"We have also formed our own rescue team composed of personnel from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, municipal engineering and health offices," Pizarro said.
An incident command system seminar and training is scheduled to be held on July 29 of this year.
Along with the town of Samal and the City of Balanga, the Municipality of Pilar is reportedly scheduled to receive the much-coveted Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
DILG Secretary Mar Roxas said, as published in the Official Gazette, that with the introduction of the SGLG, his office aims for a condition where the local government units (LGUs) do not only sustain the practice of accountability and transparency (good financial housekeeping) but are also able to prepare for the challenges posed by disasters (disaster preparedness), and are sensitive to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized sectors of the society (social protection).
source: http://1bataan.com/news/132-middle-east456202711/1069-p55m-for-pilar-flood-control-projects.html