CATBALOGAN, Samar – Samar Vice governor Jesus Redaja has expressed optimism that collective efforts can favorably work for the resuscitation of the so-called “rice bowl” of the province and gradually enable the towns of Pagsanghan, Gandara, San Jorge and Tarangnan to regain an estimated yearly loss of P300 million from thousands of hectares of rice fields affected by perennial floods that have been haunting this agricultural basin for over 40 years now.

At a press conference here, the vice-governor said that while the local government units f these towns cannot be left alone in solving their flooding problem view of financial contains and the big amount of money involved with which to desilt the Gandara River, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan can help facilitate referral to the provincial development council, for it turn to seek the favorable action of the Regional Development Council.

The RDC of Region 8, on the other hand, can effectively make representations with the Office of the President which, he believes, is in the best position to tap the other gobvernment6 agencies for the siphoning in of funds that will be needed in the multi-million peso worth of dredging of the Gandara River that has been made shallow and has widened due to siltation.

In the morning of Oct. 26, Redaja personally led a team in the conduct of an ocular inspection of the Gandara River and its river banks, starting form Brgy. Concecion of Gandara up to the mouth of the river which forks at the sea down west of Bangon island of Pagsanghan town and Cambaye island of Tarangnan. The inspection enabled the team to also measure the depth of the river water – the estimated depth at high tide having been found to be barely three meters (approximately 10 trunks of the bamboo pole used in dipping the water) – and note the tell-tales of the river banks to determine the expanse of the rising water.

With Redaja were sangguniang panlalawigan members Engr. Menandro Q. Tiopes of the Second District of Samar and Atty. Rogelio Casurao and Cesario Ricafort, both of the First District, two technical government personnel development facilitator Pascual Cosmod of the Department of Land Reform (formerly Department of Agrarian Reform) in San Jorge, a representative of the DLR provincial office, two media representatives, and other government personnel. They also conducted interviews among local inhabitants of Concepcion and Bangon.

At the presscon, Redaja was assisted by San Jorge sangguniang bayan member Crisologo Bernales and municipal planning and development coordinator Engr. Raul Dy. Also around were SP members Tommy Bolastig (majority floor leader), Fe Arcales and Joseph Escober. The mayors of the four towns could have shared more information about the flood problem and the actions they have already taken were they not only attending an official function in Cebu City at the time of the press conference.