By Leonardo Micua
MBTF flags encroachments along Pantal-Sinocalan River
Mayor Belen Fernandez reported that sections of the Pantal-Sinocalan River, particularly in Dagupan’s southern barangays, have narrowed over time due to encroachments by nearby property owners.
Fernandez made the observation during an on-site river inspection on February 3 with City Engineer Josephine Corpuz, CDRRMO Ronald de Guzman, and engineers Athena Arenas and Mylene Cervantes.
She later discussed the issue on her Cable TV program “Sumbungan ng Bayan.”
She said areas of the river in Barangays Caranglaan and Lasip Grande have significantly shrunk in width, causing water constriction upstream and flooding during the rainy season that affects surrounding communities.
Fernandez urged property owners to return portions of the river they have occupied to restore proper water flow.
The encroachers include owners of business establishments as well as residential home owners.
The inspection, which covered the stretch from Magsaysay Fish Market to Ramos Bridge along the Jose de Venecia Sr. Expressway in Calasiao, was conducted ahead of her meeting with Department of Public Works and Highways officials to push for needed infrastructure projects in Dagupan.
Fernandez noted that while some riverbanks are now steel-plated, many areas remain protected only by gabion embankments, which are inadequate during floods.
She added that southern barangays are highly flood-prone due to disconnected dikes, though one family in Bacayao Norte has agreed to demolish part of their home to allow dike construction.
She also called for the urgent dredging of a shallow creek in Herrero-Perez, which frequently overflows and floods nearby barangays, including Mayombo.
Flooding along Rizal Street and parts of A.B. Fernandez Avenue, she said, is worsened by a gap in the river’s western dike near a non-functional floodgate and pumping station built under the previous Lim administration, which has never operated properly due to undersized submersible pipes.