Most of the P1.1-billion worth of flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in barangay Obi, Caramoran were built along mountainside and sparsely populated farmlands, leaving residents still vulnerable to flooding.
Only an old, two-meter-high stone masonry dike upstream of the existing pipe culvert protects the village from rising waters of the Hitoma river during storms and heavy rains.
In contrast, the other bank of the river extending from 200 meters upstream down to an area over two kilometers downstream is wrapped along its entire length by a combination of revetments, riprap and road dikes ranging from three to six meters high.
This was evident in a visit by the Tribune to the remote Caramoran barangay which received the highest amount of flood control projects among the province’s flood-prone villages in the last four years.
In an interview with the local media, Punong Barangay Leoncio Zuniega Jr. said that the river dikes installed in his area did not benefit the barangay residents but private landowners.
Likewise, he disclosed that the barangay council did not pass resolutions requesting for such projects in the locations where they were built.
“Ang hinanakit nga naming, na dapat malaman ng Presidente, yung sa loob ng barangay naming na barangay ang manginginabang, hindi nila nilagyan,” Zuniega stressed.
He told the DPWH engineers who came to the area that the proposed project should be moved along the riverbank of the barangay as the project location is still Obi but the they said it would be difficult and take a long time to realign the project.
The DPWH representatives had advised him to submit a new resolution for the proposed 400-meter river control project that would protect the barangay proper as it would be easier.
“Yung may resolusyon hindi na nagawan ng paraan na madikehan sa ngayon,” the village chief said.
He said he did not know if the contractor or the DPWH actually consulted the barangay officials before as he was not yet the barangay captain.
But when he was elected to the post, he only learned of the flood control projects in his barangay when construction started.
Aside from the contracts implemented by Hi-Tone Construction and Development Corporation, he stated that even Congressman Eulogio Rodriguez allocated P200 million for a similar project in Obi with the contract awarded to Hi-Tone.
“Nagpapaalam sila pag nagsisimula pero pag tapos na hindi na sila nagpapaalam,” Zuniega said “Hindi nga naming alam kung saan galing na mga congressman at senador ang mga pondo.”
“Nakikita ko naman maganda ang pagkakagawa, kaya lang ang nanginginabang hindi taong barangay.” He added.
He stated that the contractors of the flood control projects did not present any document or certificate of completion and acceptance for his signature as barangay captain.
Zuniega said the last time Obi proper was inundated by flooding was in 2020 during super typhoon Rolly when debris blocked the pipes of the existing culvert crossing, with the river overflowing into the residential area.
The DPWH told the village chief that the culvert crossing could not be replaced by a bridge as requested because it was built in 2008 and could not be demolished until after it reached 20 years or in 2028.
While the barangay has not been hit with flooding in past years, Zuniega is sure that the same would happen again during a similar storm due to the lack of a higher dike at the upstream of the culvert crossing.
“Dapat unahin man lang yung sa barangay, wag na muna yung papuntang dagat, eh, wala naming nakatira doon,” he said, pointing out that the last project was for 400 meters and the area where it was built only had one house.
“Kaya gusto kong mapaabot sa presidente yung hinaing namin,” the village chief stated. “May takot kami kung nagbabagyo o kahit walang bagyo pag malakas ang ulan kasi ung dike na ginawa noon guna, wala namang mga bakal, wala nang pundasyon.”
“Ang pakiusap ko sa Presidente at sa mga kongresman, sana makita nila pati na ng DPWH na nangako na sila ang hahanap ngh pondo,” he added, referring to the 400-meter dike requested for the upstream portion of the village.
On comments that Obi is lucky for having been allocated the highest amount of flood control projects in Catanduanes, Punong Barangay Zuniega said that in his opinion, the residents were benefited only in tht they were able to work in the projects.
“Pero ang mga tao may takot pa rin dahil sa mismong barangay namin, ang dapat trabahuhan ay hindi nila nagawa,” he underscored.
If laid end to end, the river control projects in Obi would stretch to over four kilometers, with majority of them built along isolated areas such as mountains and sparsely populated farmlands. One such project even encircling an entire hill with three levels of revetment structures.
According to a DPWH source, projects had different designs although the plans were supposed to have been prepared by the Planning Division of the DPWH regional office.
More than three kilometers of the projects are road dikes along both sides of the river heading towards the sea at Hitoma while those near the barangay consist of three levels of slope protection complete with walkway with GI pipe railings.
Some have two meters of riprap built on top of the dikes while in front of the Sunwest Water & Electricity Co. (SUWECO) hydroelectric power plant, a three-meter stone masonry dike sits on top of another dike.
The flood of river control funding for what the DPWH described as “flood mitigation structures protecting public infrastructures” began in 2022.
That year, Sunwest, Inc., formerly known as Sunwest Construction & Development Corporation, won a P168.2 million contract for the construction of road dike along Hitoma river.
Its sister company, Hi-Tone Construction & Development Corporation, was awarded two projects that same year: the P110.9 million construction of Obi river control structures and the P77.2 million construction of Hitoma river flood control structure.
In 2023, Hi-Tone implemented two other projects in the same river system: P192.9 million for the construction of road dike along Hitoma river (Phase I) and P192.9 million for Phase II of the same project.
In 2024, the company owned by the family of Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co was also awarded a P187.2 million for the river control at Obi.
This year, Hi-Tone was awarded another P187.2 million for the Hitoma road dike, aside from three other flood control projects worth a total of P561 million in Virac and San Miguel.
All told, Hi-Tone won a total of P2.45 billion in flood control projects while Sunwest had P578.6 million during the past four years.
Hi-Tone’s total does not include the P95 million contract for two flood control projects in 2018.
The Hitoma river system is one of the shortest in the entire province and is dwarfed by the Bato and Pajo river systems.
Barangay Obi, with a population of 1,389 as of the 2020 census, sits at an elevation of 47 meters, with most of its houses clustered on a small, riverside flat area.
It hosts the Hitoma 1 Mini-Hydroelectric Power Plant operated by Sunwest Water & Electricity Co. (SUWECO), the lone supplier of electricity to the Catanduanes island grid.
Its other mini-hydroelectric power plant is in Solong, San Miguel, the site of a P187-million flood control project awarded to Hi-Tone Construction & Development Corporation in February this year.