DPWH-6 ends PHP 100M Mansaya Creek rehab project

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Department of Public Works and Highways Western Visayas (DPWH-6) has terminated the PHP 100 million Mansaya Creek rehabilitation project in La Paz district, Iloilo City, due to persistent obstructions and inaccessibility of the site.

DPWH-6 director Joel Limpengco said the failure to clear informal settlers along the creek was the main reason the project could not proceed.

“Despite our diligent efforts to address and resolve the issues encountered during project implementation, the situation has unfortunately remained beyond our control,” he stated in a September 18 letter to Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Trenas-Chu.

Trenas-Chu said the project’s issues could have been avoided through better coordination between national and local governments before implementation.

“Stronger collaboration between national agencies and the local government, including the barangay officials, is necessary and vital to ensure that projects intended for our people will not go to waste and are completed,” she added.

Limpengco said the official termination of the project took effect on September 16.

An October 2024 report from the Iloilo City Local Housing Office identified at least 63 informal settler families living along Mansaya Creek, with plans to relocate them to Barangay San Isidro, Jaro.

The rehabilitation project covered 2,396 linear meters across Barangays Lapuz Norte, Don Esteban, and Sinikway, and was designed with a width of 14.5 meters and a height of 3 meters.

It was classified as a Category C project, requiring only a Project Description submission rather than a full Environmental Compliance Certificate.

It was also one of eight projects submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for review and temporary suspension of permit processing.

The project was awarded to YPR Gen. Contractor and Construction Supply, Inc., a construction firm owned by the controversial Discaya couple.

According to DPWH records, the contract had a total value of PHP 101.32 million, with the project slated for implementation from February 10, 2023, to March 27, 2024, though progress reached only 0.02 percent.

In the same waterway, a PHP 37 million flood control project was completed in 2022, but also failed to function effectively due to obstructions that prevented floodwaters from flowing naturally during heavy rains.

That project, implemented by the Iloilo City District Engineering Office and constructed by St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corp.—another Discaya-owned firm—included a 400-linear-meter concrete revetment wall with an access road.

Issues cited in the project included an embankment from an adjacent private construction, reclamation of natural waterways, and the presence of illegal structures along the flood control system.