LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Pangasinan 2nd District Rep. Mark Cojuangco is again pushing for the construction of a seawall along the Lingayen gulf after a storm surge caused by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name Trami) resulted in massive flooding last week. The storm surge inundated some parts of the capitol grounds and nine villages here, according to a report from the Pangasinan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. Cojuangco, in an interview Wednesday, said the flooding caused by the combination of storm surge, high tide, and the southwest monsoon, could have been reduced with the help of a seawall. 'Nagsabay-sabay kaya ang taas ng tubig. And this is one thing (that) we have been preparing for over the last years (It all happened at the same time. And this is one thing that we have been preparing for these past years),' he said. A 940-meter file sheet and concrete seawall project for Lingayen has received PHP75 million in funding from the national government under the 2023 budget a nd PHP110 million for a 1,378-meter additional area under this year's national budget. Construction works began in April 2023 but were stopped around September last year due to several reasons, one of which is the opposition of fishers who claimed that the project would hamper their livelihood. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) - Dagupan City chief meteorological officer Jose Estrada Jr., in a phone interview on Wednesday, said a seawall would ease the impact of a storm surge. 'There is an existing seawall at the Lingayen beach but it should be a meter higher and should be moved closer to the beach area to cushion even more the impact of the storm surge,' he said in Filipino. Source: Philippines News Agency