Residents Wary of Sickness from Flood

Residents of Seguerra Compound in Barangay Poblacion, Talisay City are worried of the possible illness they will get due to the floodwater that surrounds their community.

“Kuyawan pud mi nga masakit mi ani. Nana biyay namatay bag-o lang tungod sa baha,” said Annie Sumampong.

Sumampong’s house was surrounded by thigh-high flood water after Saturday’s heavy rain. Today, the flood has subsided, but it is still knee-deep. Sumampong said early this year a neighbor died of leptospirosis after wading through the dirty floodwater.

Sumampong appealed to the local government of Talisay to give them a drainage system, which their area lacks after the open canal was closed by the lot owner two years ago.

Amor Duran, neighbor of Sumampong, said it is always a struggle to get in and out of their place as it is practically submerged in water. She said it takes several hot days to drain all the water. On rainy days, they would only pray that rains would not come too hard otherwise they would be flooded again, she said.

City lawyer Alfredo Sipalay said a plan to re-open the drainage has been stalled after a Jun Salceda, owner of a beach resort where the water from Seguerra Compound used to pass, closed the drainage allegedly because he does not want the sea fronting his beach contaminated with the compound’s waste water.

Sipalay said if Salceda would still be adamant of the city’s request, they may resort to bringing it to the court for an expropriation proceeding.

Photo above: Residents of Poblacion,Talisay wade through the flood in the pathway that leads to the main road. LGC