BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The city government of Cadiz received a dredger donation from the provincial government of Negros Occidental, for its flood prevention program.
The deed of donation was signed yesterday by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante, and witnessed by Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz, at the Capitol in Bacolod City.
Escalante said the old dredger of the provincial government was being used for dredging in the water tributaries of EB Magalona, Valladolid, San Enrique, and Hinigaran, before it was damaged due to contamination of its electrical wirings, among others.
He added that then Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. decided to turn it over to the city government of Cadiz for repair, and future use.
As stipulated in the DOD, Escalante said that the dredger can still be used by other local government units, although it is already a property of the Cadiz City government.
With the signing of the DOD, he added that they can now effect the payment for the repair of the dredger.
Cadiz had not been spared by flashfloods, that hit the flood-prone barangays of Sicaba, Luna, Mabini, Daga and Tinampa-an three weeks ago.
The reason, Escalante said, is that mangroves have encroached on major rivers that should be cleared. As stated in the DOD, the donated dredger will be exclusively used for flood control purposes, such as performing maintenance dredging operations of its commercial port and in the adjoining Hitalon River, and clearing the silt deposits that have accumulated due to the constant wave action of the Visayan Sea.*
