Clearing of Tipolo Creek in Mandaue starts

Local

AS flooding continue to hound Mandaue City, clearing one of the waterways blamed for worsening the problem—Tipolo Creek--has begun.

The operation is being carried out with assistance from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), following Secretary Vince Dizon’s inspection of flood-prone areas in Mandaue City and Cebu City to assess priority drainage and flood-control projects.

The dredging covers portions of Tipolo Creek stretching from Barangay Tipolo toward Barangays Guizo, Mantuyong and Centro.

City officials identified the waterway as a major contributor to flooding affecting at least four barangays.

City Administrator Atty. Gonzalo Malig-on said the city requested dredging equipment from the DPWH after heavy flooding hit parts of Mandaue on July 30.

“Usa sa nakita nga immediate solutions is i dredge ni diri, of course, this is just one of the solutions daghan pa ta og angay buhaton, short term is kaning pag dredge,” Malig-on said.

The DPWH provided one piece of equipment, which Malig-on said is enough for the current operation.

The equipment began mobilizing Monday night, Aug. 10, while DPWH personnel were also deployed to assist. The city government is providing fuel.

Malig-on said heavy siltation, along with high tide, contributed to the July 30 flooding.

Water from Tipolo Creek can overflow from Barangay Tipolo toward Guizo and Mantuyong when the creek cannot accommodate the flow.

“Kung ma dredge na, mudako ang capacity sa sapa nga maagian sa tubig,” he said.

The dredging will also remove trees, soil and other debris that have obstructed parts of the waterway.

However, the equipment cannot yet access a portion of the creek in Barangay Guizo because of a private structure. The city is seeking permission from the property owner to enter the area.

“Atong gipananghiran nga anha ta mu-access dihang maabot na ta sa (Barangay) Guizo,” Malig-on said.

The city plans to clean as much of the creek as possible, but officials will initially prioritize sections that can be accessed and are expected to provide immediate relief.

The dredging is one of three short-term measures identified after the July 30 flooding.

The other measures include providing a pump for Mayor A.S. Fortuna Elementary School and clearing the area beneath houses near the creek in Barangay Guizo, where the waterway has narrowed to about 1.5 meters from its original width of around five meters.

Malig-on said the city immediately carried out the three short-term measures it identified to help address the flooding.

Students at Mayor A.S. Fortuna Elementary School were among those affected by the July 30 flooding and were rescued using rubber boats.

During his inspection, Dizon visited six priority flood-prone areas in Mandaue: A.S. Fortuna Street, U.N. Avenue, A.C. Cortes Avenue, M.L. Quezon Avenue, the Innodata area in Barangay Subangdaku and the area near LH Prime Medical Clinic.

Dizon said projects funded for 2026 and 2027 are expected to be completed by the end of 2026 and early 2027, adding that residents should already begin seeing some relief from the ongoing works.

The DPWH recently completed a drainage improvement project in Barangay Banilad connecting the area from Cebu Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels Inc. to Orel Creek.

The agency is also working to connect Orel Creek to the Subangdaku River and Mahiga Creek.

A pumping station and floodgate along A.C. Cortes Avenue is among the major projects planned for 2027.

The system is intended to prevent seawater from backing up into Mandaue during high tide and allow pumps to discharge drainage water toward the Mactan Channel.

The developments come as the Office of the Ombudsman reviews more than P60 billion in flood-control spending in Cebu over the past six years.

Malig-on thanked the DPWH for its immediate response to the city’s request for dredging equipment as Mandaue pursues short- and long-term measures to address flooding.(MyTVCebu)