Poor drainage triggers Iligan New Year flooding due to Tropical Depression Agaton

ILIGAN City (3 Jan 2018) - Poor drainage system that could not cope with heavy rainfall triggered the flooding in this city on Tuesday (January2) during the onset of Tropical Depression Agaton.

Residents in several barangays were alarmed as floodwaters began to slowly creep into their homes in the evening of January 1, until early dawn the next day.

Several residents in Barangay Tibanga recalled that the heavy downpour that started at around 1:00 a.m. and continued until the morning, causing the village's drainage to overflow.

A resident in neighboring Barangay Palao also blamed the flooding on the "overflowing creeks due to trashes clogging the canals."

City Councilor Renato Ancis, chair of the infrastructure committee, said the City Council would ask Mayor Celso Gomera Regencia to purchase a suction truck to de-clog the city's waterways, including canals and creeks.

Councilor Ancis sees the need to allocate an amount for the repair and improvement of the city's drainage system in the 2018 local budget.


A total of 783 families or 3,689 individuals have been evacuated after the knee-deep flooding swamped their homes, according to the City Social Welfare and Development office. [Irma S. Boza, PNA]