BY: DONALD SEVILLA

A GARGANTUAN CANAL

(FIRST OF A TWO-PART SERIES)

Do we have a mega-flood control project here in  Bohol?

The town of Loboc where the Loboc River is situated has brought  our province to the tourism roadmap because of its scenic river cruise. Daily, thousands of tourists flock to the municipality to enjoy and dine in the rustic scenery of the river.

This town rich with history and tradition has brought honor and prestige to our province through the world- renowned Loboc Children’s Choir . It is a town famous for its musically minded residents and carved wooden furnitures among others.

On the other hand it has brought us infamy too due to its unfinished concrete bridge to nowhere that stands as a testament to government

bureaucracy’s ineptness, an early testament to DPWH corruption decades ago.

Just recently, its abundant water resource has sparked  controversy between a private developer and the local government resulting to a political tug of war between opposing clans  and supporters.

While in its heyday, Loboc was a booming center of commerce due to its navigable river where vessels  carried goods from the nearby port in Loay town, not much remains of its rich commercial history today.

Businesses that flourished then, relocated to the province’s capital city to start anew. Many startups and enterprises inTagbilaran had their Lobocanon roots such as the Uys of UTC, the Sarigumbas of Villa Ondolana fame and the Jimenezes of Sayong’s furniture to name a few.

Ironically the river upon whose banks fame and fortune arose, from time to time brought misery and despair to its townsfolk with regular floodwaters.

Loboc a natural catchbasin due to its topography, cannot be spared from floods and it is but fitting that  flood mitigating measures be put in place, striking a delicate balance between its environmental engineering impact on tourism.

Purportedly the project undergoing construction now in its river banks costs  billions of pesos implemented in phases.

As to its actual cost, the local DPWH District Office which has jurisdiction over it can shed more light.