BY WENDELL VIGILIA and VICTOR REYES
VICE President Leni Robredo yesterday called for an investigation into the deadly flooding in Cagayan province, saying it should be undertaken to determine who committed the “oversight” especially amid reports that dam operators are responsible for releasing water amid the heavy rains brought by typhoon “Ulysses” last week.
“It was a confluence of many factors. Halimbawa, iyong release (ng dam water) hindi nila na-expect na effects would be this worse (They did not expect that the effects of the release of the dam water will this worse),” Robredo said in an interview with ANC.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said mayors in National Capital Region, and the Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Cagayan Valley regions want the National Disaster Risk and Management Council (NDRRMC) to have the final authority in releasing water from dams.
Año, whose department is among the many agencies that compose the NDRRMC, said he supports the call of the mayors.
Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba earlier said he is considering filing charges against dam officials for the abrupt release of water from Magat dam, contributing to the massive flooding in Cagayan and nearby provinces.
“The caveat there is during the time of calamity and if there is an impending typhoon coming to our country… they (dam officials) should not just release water on their own. The authority should be left with the NDRRMC,” said Año.
Asked if the NDRRMC has to competency to decide on when to release dams, Año said the NDRRMC is composed of various government agencies including the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
NDRRMC executive director Ricardo Jalad said the decision to release water from the dams currently currently lies with the management of these dams, based on the recommendation of PAGASA.
Jalad said the NDRRMC is merely notified of the release of the water from the dams.
“Eight hours before the release, we issue advisories to the regional and provincial disaster risk reduction and management councils and LGUs that will be affected so they can evacuate people,” he said.
A resolution was filed in the House by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and minority leader Joseph Stephen Paduano directing the concerned committee to immediately investigate the cause of massive flooding that submerged the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela during the onslaught of Ulysses, which has left 67 dead as of Sunday and displaced over 1.7 million individuals.
“As the death toll continues to rise, and the extent of damage is slowly being revealed, there is an urgent need to examine the actions that were taken during, before and after the onslaught of typhoon Ulysses,” said House Resolution No. 1348.
At least four dams in Luzon opened their gates to release water: Binga, Ambuklao, Angat and Magat, where seven gates were opened on November 12, releasing water volume equivalent to 106.223 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or about two swimming pools per second.
Robredo, who visited Cagayan and Isabela to bring relief to typhoon victims last Sunday, said dam authorities should at least have warned the public which areas will be in danger of getting flooded if a certain number of gates will be opened.
She said an estimate should have been made to determine which ones will be flooded since many of the councilors she spoke to told her they were not aware if there was such an estimate was made.
“Seven gates were opened (in Magat Dam). So para sa akin, hindi ba alam ng mga taga-roon na kapag seven gates iyong nakabukas, alin na mga lugar iyong mababaha? (So to me, my question is didn’t the residents even know which areas will be flooded if seven gates were opened?)” said the Vice President.
In Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, she said those who live in flood-prone areas were the ones who evacuated early but those who are in areas that usually do not get flooded were the ones who needed to be rescued.
“Were they warned enough na there was really danger of having floods of this magnitude? Kasi kailangan talaga ng (That’s why we need an) investigation kasi (because) if we wouldn’t have a formal investigation, the danger that it will happen again, sooner or later,” Robredo said.
Robredo said an investigation has to be undertaken to find out who should be held responsible for the massive flooding because “there was definitely an oversight.”
Last Sunday, the National Irrigation Administration said it followed protocols in releasing water from the Magat Dam’s reservoir, after the think-tank Infrawatch PH blamed it for the deadly flooding in Isabela and Cagayan.
Infrawatch PH earlier said operators of the dam in Ramon town, Isabela province, “rushed to open (the dam) gates only at the height of Ulysses” when it should have gradually released water two to three days before the typhoon hit. NIA, however, said the gates were opened as early as November 9 and continued the next few days.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque defended government agencies, saying preparations were made in anticipation of typhoons and floods, but the gravity of the situation was unexpected.
He said no matter how good the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is, if the problems brought about by climate change are not solved, the Philippine territory might be gone. He added the Philippines is in the “top five of the most susceptible countries to climate change.”
Roque said this is the reason President Duterte is repeatedly talking about climate change in international forums, to prompt developed countries to act on climate change and fulfil their commitment to reduce carbon emission, among others.
The President has said the recent series of severe typhoons, massive flooding. and typhoon surges were due to climate change, and worsened by illegal mining.
Roque said government prepared for Ulysses but Cagayan Valley, which was heavily affected, “did not expect the gravity of the amount of water that descended on the lowlands.”
He said actions would be taken to prevent a repeat of the incident, including proposed dredging of the Cagayan river, putting up dikes and dams, and planting more trees, among others.
Eighteen business groups said deaths and massive damage and destruction to property could have been prevented if government had a better and more coordinated disaster response system.
The groups said the whole country should address environment and climate change issues which have accelerated the frequency of disasters, including destructive earthquakes, devastating typhoons, massive floods, catastrophic volcanic eruptions, and ravaging landslides.
The groups also encouraged more and better public-private partnerships in making local government units less vulnerable to disasters, particularly in implementing extensive disaster-prevention measures, especially as recent disasters appear to be expanding in their geographic coverage and becoming more destructive.
The urgent call for efficient disaster response and preparedness was co-signed by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Bankers Association of the Philippines, Cebu Business Club, Cebu Leads Foundation, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Fintech Alliance, Institute for Solidarity in Asia, Institute of Corporate Directors, Investment House Association of the Philippines, IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines Inc., Judicial Reform Initiatives, Management Association of the Philippines, People Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Women’s Economic Network, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc., Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines, UP School of Economics Alumni Association, and Women’s Business Council Philippines (WomenBizPh). — With Jocelyn Montemayor and Irma Isip
