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To revitalize the waterways, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will carry out dredging operations along the Panay River, notably at the mouth of the Cogon-Hamulauon River.

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“Through the years, siltation and encroachment have developed. According to DPWH assistant regional director Engr. Al Fruto, there are areas of the Cogon-Hamulauon River that are regarded to be dead and need to be revived.

He claimed that waterways needed to be improved, particularly in places where they were too narrow and motorized bancas could no longer pass.

Two outfalls—one in Roxas City and the other at Tinagong Dagat, the Panay River’s route to the sea—are being considered for dredging.

In order to speed the transit of the dredger from Iloilo City to the section of the Cogon-Hamulauon River, he said, “we are simply waiting for the mobilization and operational fund.” At the very least, he added, work on cleaning and removing the outfalls would begin once this happened.

To at least kickstart the efforts in the Panay River, particularly the Cogon-Hamulauon Floodway, PHP500 million has also been included in the regional budget for 2024, according to Fruto.

It needs to be built, he added, adding that it would be around 320 meters wide and 7.5 kilometers long.

Every year, he claimed, Capiz experiences a terrible flood that decimates the province’s fish industry, especially in the communities of Panay, Pontevedra, and President Roxas.

The Panay River Basin Integrated Development Project (PRBIDP), which includes the flood control component, is being pushed by the DPWH while they wait for funding to finish the documentation needs.

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