AN OFFICIAL of the Badian Municipal Government blamed the ongoing road construction in Barangay Matutinao for the flooding that occurred in two barangays on Wednesday night, Aug. 31, 2022.Clayde Baratbate, Badian Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (BMDRRMO) chief, told SunStar Cebu that the debris brought about by the ongoing construction in Barangay Matutinao caused the massive flooding that struck Matutinao and Barangay Banhigan.In Barangay Matutinao, floodwaters swept boulders from the hillside that covered a portion of the national highway around 9 p.m. Wednesday.In Barangay Banhigan, several houses were flooded after the river nearby overflowed after hours of excessive rainfall.Officials said that while no one was hurt or displaced during the incident, a senior citizen was reportedly evacuated after water entered her house.As of Thursday afternoon, the affected roads were already passable after being cleared of rocks.Baratbate admitted that this was the first time in his two-year stint as BMDRRMO chief that he encountered flooding of that magnitude.He said he blamed the road project because trees that used to minimize the risk of flooding in the two barangays were removed to pave the way for it.Baratbate also blamed climate change as another factor behind the deluge.Meanwhile, Wilson Ramos, spokesman for the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), urged the public to monitor the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) for updates on unusual weather changes.“Maminaw ta pirmi sa Pagasa kay inig pagawas sa weather advisories parehas sa localized thunderstorms kay di man ta makatag-an sa panahon. Especially kaning sa lowland, labi na sa mga kasapaan nga mosaka gyud na dihang dapita,” Ramos told SunStar Cebu on Thursday, September 1, 2022.(Let us always heed the weather advisory of Pagasa regarding localized thunderstorms because we cannot predict the weather. Especially in low-lying areas, where the rivers’ water level is expected to rise during heavy downpours).Not flashfloodsRamos also clarified that the flood that occurred on Wednesday night was an ordinary one and not a flash flood as reported earlier.He said the rocks and mud found in the affected areas had been carried by rainwater.“Actually, dili man ma-consider nga flash flood kay kusog ang tubig gikan sa bukid ba. Kato hitaboa naay thunderstorm advisory sa south ilabi na sa Badian, unya naay nag construction ba. Pag kusog sa uwan, nabanlas ang mga bato ang mga yuta sa taas,” Ramos said.(Actually, it could not be considered a flash flood because water was rushing from the mountains. There was also a thunderstorm advisory that included Badian plus there was the ongoing construction. When the rain intensified, rocks and soil were washed away). (ANV, GPL, JKV / TPT)