The local government unit of Valencia in Negros Oriental is looking for options to reconstruct roads damaged by Tropical Storm “Sendong” in the province.

Valencia Mayor Ricky Gonzalez yesterday said the LGU of Bayawan City has informed him that a bulldozer will help clear debris at the Palinpinon Road, about five kilometer of which was washed out by flashfloods on December 17.

Sendong dumped about 120 mm of rain on Dumaguete, Valencia, Sibulan and other parts of the province, causing rivers and other waterways to overflow and damage millions of pesos worth of infrastructure.

In Valencia, damage to infrastructure will need about P274.4 million to rehabilitate.

Gonzalez said initial rehabilitation work at the Palinpinon Road will cover debris clearing and backfilling of the portion destroyed. A dirt road will have to do until Valencia receives aid from the national government and acquire heavy equipment to undertake repair, rehabilitation or construction of new access roads and bridges, Gonzalez said.

Aside from the Palinpinon road, the one in Malabo, Valencia will also be prioritized for temporary rehabilitation.

Gonzalez said he is confident that the villages of Puhagan, Caidiocan and Malaunay will once again become accessible as the Energy Development Corporation that owns the Palinpinon geothermal power plants, has promised to help rebuild damaged infrastructure there.

The town of Valencia, which is home to EDC’s 192.5 geothermal power plants, has been the hardest hit area in Negros Oriental by “Sendong”.*JFP

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