CLOGGED, SILTED, DISCONNECTED: Iloilo City eyes citywide drainage links to curb flooding

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY – Iloilo City needs a comprehensive drainage system that links barangay networks to outfalls and pumping stations, City Engineer Mavi Gustilo said, as the city government works to address recurring flooding during heavy rains.

“Our drainage system should have connectivity going to the outfall. Our goal is for all drainage systems to be connected to our pumping stations,” Gustilo said.

Outfalls are the discharge points where collected rainwater empties into rivers, creeks, or the sea.

Gustilo said the city is gradually developing a drainage layout that extends beyond individual barangays, noting that the networks should function as a single system.

“We are now developing it gradually. We are working on laying out the drainage system not just per barangay but comprehensively. One barangay cannot have a different system from another,” Gustilo said.

The statement followed concerns raised by residents of Barangay Sinikway, including the Villa Hermosa community, in La Paz, over prolonged stagnant water and flooding during periods of heavy rain.

The city government will assist barangays in cleaning their drainage canals to improve water flow and reduce flooding, Gustilo said.

It has already coordinated with the Infrastructure and Facility Conservation Office (IFCO), the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, and the General Services Office for the start of clearing operations, she said.

Many existing canals, particularly in La Paz, are filled with garbage and silt, limiting their capacity to carry rainwater.

“The existing canals contain a lot of garbage and are heavily silted. Some of the open canals are already almost at the same level as the water and the concrete roads,” she said.

Clearing operations will begin in Sinikway and proceed toward Don Esteban in La Paz, where a pumping station is located.

Gustilo said the city is targeting the connection of drainage systems in Sinikway and nearby areas to the La Paz pumping station to help reduce flooding.

She described the clearing and declogging activities as “palliative measures” while the city completes its comprehensive drainage plan.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has identified four barangays in La Paz — San Isidro, Banuyao, Hinactacan, and Magsaysay Village — among Iloilo City’s flood-susceptible barangays.

Sinikway, meanwhile, is classified by the MGB as having low flood susceptibility and low risk exposure.

Its population density, however, means a significant number of residents remain exposed when flooding occurs.

A total of 3,717 residents are listed as potentially affected, making Sinikway one of the most populated low-susceptibility flood zones in the city.

Separately, the city government reported that IFCO declogged 18.4 kilometers of drainage lines from July 2025 to September 2026 as part of its continuing infrastructure maintenance and flood-mitigation work.

Over the same period, IFCO organized 2,100 posts and utility lines, improved road markings in 101 areas, painted 142 structures, and repaired 174 structures.

Joy Fantilaga-Gorzal, the spokesperson of Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu, said IFCO’s work goes beyond responding to complaints from residents, with the office also conducting inspections and preventive maintenance to address problems before they worsen.

“When our residents raise a concern, we immediately refer it to IFCO so it can be inspected and addressed as quickly as possible. Regular inspection and preventive maintenance are also part of its work to address problems before they become bigger,” Fantilaga-Gorzal said.

The city government has directed personnel to respond to residents’ concerns as quickly as possible and to provide a 24/7 response when necessary, she said.