KALIBO, Aklan – The dredging of the heavily silted Aklan River will start soon after the P100 million contract for the job has been awarded to Iloilo Builders Corporation (IBC), an accredited local-based contractor.

Lawyer Mary Grace Lim, legal counsel of the Department of Public Works and Highways regional office, said the P100-million will come from the DPWH Calamity Fund under Republic Act No. 9465 through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in its Special Allotment Release Order dated June 3, 2009.

“It (P100-million fund) was directly released to DPWH (the) secretary and sub-allotted to the DPWH regional director for the fiscal year 2009,” Lim said during a committee hearing of the Aklan Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Tuesday.

Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Rodson Mayor earlier proposed a resolution protesting the action of DPWH Region 6 for bidding the P100-million project from the President’s Social Fund without due consultation.

“After typhoon ‘Frank’ hit the province of Aklan on June 21, 2008, there was a concerted effort with the provincial government, DPWH and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for a survey of the Aklan River and the calamity-affected areas. The program of works was presented to Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Raul Banias and that plan was adopted by DPWH,” Lim said.

When President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo visited Aklan after the typhoon, she committed to release funds for the dredging of Aklan River.