DPWH maintains collapse of Mandaue riprap not caused by flawed design

Local

A TEMPORARY access road, not a design flaw, caused the collapse of a flood control structure along the Butuanon River in Mandaue City.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Cebu 6th District Engineering Office said on Wednesday, August 20, that the road, built for construction equipment, diverted upstream floodwater behind the riprap, weakening the section until it gave way.

Assistant District Engineer Eda de Guzman said the diversion allowed water to bypass the river channel, which led to the collapse.

The clarification came after Sixth District Rep. Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon pressed DPWH to explain recent structural failures along the river, including a 20-meter riprap collapse in Barangay Casuntingan last Friday that destroyed five houses.

Residents earlier claimed the riprap was too thin, but Planning and Design Engineer Romar Jude Yan said its thickness was consistent with the approved plan.

He noted that while the above-ground portion may look narrow, the structure extends underground with foundations, reinforcements, and a base thickness of five meters.

Regional Director Danilo Villa Jr. joined De Guzman and Yan in the press briefing, where a project section drawing was presented showing the riprap’s 5.12-meter height and one-meter freeboard above flood level.

DPWH stressed that the access road was only temporary and not part of the permanent structure.

Ouano-Dizon said her responsibility is to secure funding for flood projects, while design and implementation fall under DPWH and its contractors.

She urged the agency to release specifications publicly to ensure transparency.

She has secured P3.8 billion for Mandaue’s flood control works but estimates the city needs at least P12 billion to fully address flooding.

The Casuntingan riprap, built in 2024 by On Point Construction with a P90-million budget, sustained about P500,000 in damage.

Since the project has not yet been turned over to the government, the contractor will shoulder the cost.

Mayor Thadeo “Jonkie” Ouano separately called for a joint inspection by the City Engineering Office, DPWH, and stakeholders to check the quality of projects along the 11.4-kilometer Butuanon River.

He said seven kilometers of works have been completed so far but pointed out that different contractors and designs make verification necessary.

The mayor also requested a full list of all flood control projects in Mandaue since 2018, along with their costs and the city’s master drainage plan, to align national and local measures.

For immediate response, he said the city will lease mobile pumping trucks to lower floodwaters in heavily affected barangays Umapad and Paknaan.

The city has also given P49,000 in aid to the family of a 25-year-old driver who drowned after trying to retrieve his taxi during the August 15 floods.(MyTVCebu)