MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday emphasized the need to "relook" and "reexamine" the designs of flood control infrastructures as thousands bore the brunt of the southwest monsoon or habagat intensified by Typhoon Carina.
According to Philippines News Agency, the pronouncement came after inspecting the situation in the cities of Valenzuela and Navotas, two of the hardest-hit areas in Metro Manila. The President noted that the effect of Typhoon Carina and the habagat "was greater than Ondoy," which wreaked havoc across the metropolis and other parts of Luzon in 2009, despite having a lower amount of rainfall.
"We have to relook, we have to reexamine some of the designs of our flood control [projects]. Dahil for example, the amount of water was as not as bad as Ondoy, but the effect was greater than Ondoy," Marcos told reporters after his visits to Valenzuela and Navotas. "Mas malaki ang baha. Mas marami ang nabaha na lugar kaysa panahon ng Ondoy. Eh mas marami tayong flood control ngayon kesa noon (The flood is worse. More areas are submerged with floodwaters compared to the time of Ondoy. But we have more flood control projects now than before)," he said.
Marcos pointed out that climate change is also a factor in the massive floods in Metro Manila and other regions, adding that the flood control infrastructures, like the pumping stations in Valenzuela and Navotas, did not work properly as they were clogged with garbage. "'Yung pumping stations natin marami, nagkaproblema lang (We have a lot of pumping stations, we just encountered a problem)," he said. "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 (I hope the people will learn. Let's not throw away our trash carelessly because they are blocking our pumps that's why they weren't effective)," he added.
The President stated that Navotas City has 81 pumping stations while Valenzuela has 32. Metro Manila and other nearby provinces, cities, and towns have declared a state of calamity as Typhoon Carina, which at one point turned into a Super Typhoon while inside the Philippine territory, and habagat brought torrential rains almost non-stop since early Wednesday.
Images on social media showed residents on roofs waiting for rescue, while some commuters, along with public and private vehicles, were also stranded along thoroughfares that turned into rivers in Quezon City and other areas in Metro Manila.
In the coastal city of Navotas, floods were exacerbated by its damaged navigational gate, which would have served as its protection during high tide. Marcos instructed the engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways to find a quick fix to the damaged floodgate, which has also been causing severe floods in the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela (Camanava) area.