DAGUPAN CITY - House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. said two flood control dikes he helped build spared Dagupan City and most towns in central and eastern Pangasinan from another disastrous floods.

Speaking over a local radio station, de Venecia said the flood control dams in Sison and Mangaldan held on despite heavy rains spawned by typhoons ‘Florita’ and ‘Glenda’.

He said the flood control dam in Sison prevented the floodwaters of the Bued river from spilling over to northern and central Pangasinan.

On the other hand, the flood control dike in Mangaldan prevented the water from the Cayanga river from splitting over to Mangaldan and Dagupan City.

De Venecia said he helped fund a three-kilometer dike along the Bued river in Sison, even it is outside his fourth district of Pangasinan, because that will prevent the flood in San Fabian, Manaoag and San Jacinto towns.

Sison is within the fifth district of Pangasinan whose congressman is Rep. Mark Cojuangco de Venecia and Cojuangco jointly pushed the project to become the first line of defense from floods.

This project, De Venecia said, benefited also the towns of Sison, Pozorrubio, Binalonan and Urdaneta City, all in the fifth district of Pangasinan.

“For the first time in many years, the towns of San Fabian, Manaoag and Pozorrubio were not flooded even with heavy rains from two previous typhoons,” he said.

At the same time, he said, the flood control dam in Mangaldan, dubbed as Pangasinan’s second line of defense, also prevented flood in Mangaldan and eastern Dagupan City, particularly barangays Salisay, Mangin, Mamalingling, Tebeng and Tambac.

De Venecia was asked to help build another flood control dike to prevent the perennial flooding of Sta. Barbara and Calasiao, both in the third district of Pangasinan and also to spare the southern section of Dagupan City from perennial floods.

Sta. Barbara and Calasiao are still under water three days after typhoon ‘Glenda’ has left the country.

Residents of Sta. Barbara town said their Sinocalan river now needs immediate dredging as it now easily overflows its banks every heavy rain. (PNA)