ANTIPOLO CITY, Rizal – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the city government have been getting bad reviews from residents of low-lying communities, here, who fear a repeat of the disaster wrought by tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” last year.

“Sana ngayon pa lang ay nagpapatawag na sila ng meeting sa mga tao para malaman namin kung ano ang mga dapat gawin kapag nagkaroon ng pagbaha (Hopefully, by now they [authorities] should be meeting with the people to tell them what to do when it floods),” quipped a concerned resident of Cristimar Subdivision, which was submerged during last year’s flooding.

But what most residents see and hear from the city government’s public information office are social activities of reelected and newly-elected officials.

Even highland residents of the city, who doubt the stability of structures in their communities against erosion and landslides, are beginning to question the apparent lack of mitigating measures set up by the DPWH.

In Cainta, the Village East Homeowners Association Inc. (VEHA) said the DPWH has been sitting on a request to repair ripraps wrecked by the floods brought by Ondoy and Pepeng.

In a letter dated May 24, 2010, DPWH Mangahan Floodway Project Director Patrick Gatan informed VEHA that: “We (DPWH officials) have already requested the funding of the Long Term Plan of Flood Control Project of East of Mangahan Flooding Zone but, due to lack of funds for the project, we solicited the assistance of foreign lending institutions in which we are waiting for the positive result.”