Lady Caycay and Frank Drilon

Oton once boasted of an ancient church that had a unique architectural design throughout the Philippines. Lady Caycay dashed all that to the ground, literally, that is.

Oton church before Lady Caycay
Oton church before Lady Caycay


Lady Cay-Cay was an earthquake that demolished more than 30 churches on Panay Island on January 25, 1948 when the West Panay Fault moved. (Our church in Igbaras, Iloilo was ruined beyond repair.)

The quake triggered a sea surge that drowned two boys frolicking on the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait.


West Panay Fault, passing Lambunao, Iloilo from San Joaquin town, Iloilo and wounding farther up north past Aklan,  is some 11 km from the site of the proposed mega-dam.

After Lady Caycay
After Lady Caycay


Don't worry, be happy, says Sen. President Franklin Drilon to Ilonggos, because the dam to be built in Iloilo will be done by experts and guaranted "earthquake proof."


The P11.5 - billion dam, loaned largely from Korea overseas development assistance fund (sounds like PDAF), is payable in 15 years.


Drilon, now at the center wind (along with others) of the P10-B PDAF scam calls the mega-dam "Pnoy's gift" to Ilonggos. (Gift? Wow. It's Filipino taxpayers who will repay Korea, not Noypi.)


Drilon must have a PhD in engineering to regale us with the story that his pet project can withstand the forces of nature, earthquake in this instance.


Iloilo is yet to recover from shock learning that the P220-million hall of justice in Iloilo City, was the only building in Iloilo that showed massive cracks after the February 2012 earthquake. Older buildings, including pre-war ones were unscathed. 


The Hall of Justice was only 20-years old and erected through Drilon's lobby.

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