PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday ordered the immediate repair of floodgates in Navotas, Malabon, and Valenzuela cities and a review of flood control infrastructure systems to ensure these could withstand changing climate and weather patterns.
The President also appealed to the public to dispose of their garbage properly as he said drainage systems blocked by trash were among causes of the massive flooding in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon on Wednesday.
“Yung pumping stations natin marami, nagkaproblema lang. Sana matuto na ang tao. ‘Wag na kayong nagtatapon ng basura dahil ang basurang ‘yun ang nagbara doon sa mga pump natin kaya hindi kasing effective (We have a lot of pumping stations; they just encountered problems. I hope people will learn. Don’t just throw garbage because that garbage blocked the pumps that is why they were not that effective,” he said in an interview in Navotas City.
The President, during a situation briefing held at the Presidential Security Command compound, directed Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan to put in place emergency measures to stop the flooding while preparing for the repair and rehabilitation of the damaged floodgates.
“We’ll just have to figure out something, I don’t know what it will be, but we have to figure out something,” he said, adding that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) can consult with the Armed Forces on the emergency repairs.
Romand Artes, acting chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), said based on the agency’s talks with officials from the Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela (Camanava) area and the DPWH, repairs had been scheduled this month.
He said the main concern will be open floodgates while repairs are ongoing. He said even without rains, five barangays in Malabon and three in Navotas will remain flooded while the gates are open.
The President, after the briefing, visited areas in Valenzuela and Malabon and inspected the damaged floodgates in Navotas.
He said Navotas has 81 pumping stations and Valenzuela 32 but these areas still got flooded.
“So, Valenzuela has the usual problem and it’s really a basin. Valenzuela is always flooded, but they have a lot of flood control systems and they were overtaken by the huge volume of water. So we have to relook, we have to reexamine some of the designs of our flood control,” he said in mixed Filipino and English.
The President said the amount of rain water from the recent series of weather disturbances was actually less than those from typhoon “Ondoy” in 2009 but the flood and damage was “greater than Ondoy.”
“More areas got flooded than during Ondoy. But we also have more flood control systems now … these are what the effects of climate change are,” he said.
He also acknowledged that the latest flood, especially in the Camanava area, was brought about by different factors such as high tide, damage incurred by the Malabon-Navotas River floodgate after a barge entered during a low tide a month ago, and even the garbage that blocked the drainage system.
RELIEF PACKAGES
Marcos said the national government will lump relief packages needed by the affected LGUs.
He said there will at least be one for the National Capital Region, for Central Luzon and for Calabarzon.
“We will put that all together so that we can go to DBM (Department of Budget and Management) and tell them to release this already so that our local officials can use it],” he added.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has said the DBM is ready to support government efforts to aid affected communities.
Pangandaman said frontline government agencies may mobilize the quick response fund (QRF) allocated in their budgets when needed, and request for replenishment from the DBM once they are able to utilize at least 50 percent of it.
QRFs are pre-disaster or standby fund for agencies such as the Department of Education which was allocated P3 billion; Department of Social Welfare and Development (P1.75 billion), Department of Agriculture and Department of Public Works and Highways (P1 billion each), Department of Health and Office of Civil Defense (P500 million), Philippine Coast Guard (P75 million), and the Bureau of Fire Protection and Philippine National Police (P50 million each).
