(UPDATES) FOLLOWING the massive flooding brought about by a damaged navigational gate of the Malabon-Navotas River, officials pushed for the establishment of a similar structure to serve as a backup to avoid floods in the future.
In separate interviews, Navotas Rep. Tobias “Toby” Tiangco and Mayor John Rey Tiangco and Malabon Mayor Jeannie Sandoval stressed the importance of a backup floodgate as one of the permanent and long-term solutions to flooding.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a prompt assessment of the damaged Tangos-Tanza navigational gate after personally inspecting the structure on Thursday.
Navotas Rep. Tobias “Toby” Tiangco
Tiangco said it was wise to heed the call of the President to develop a national flood control plan in the aftermath of the calamity.
“Developing a national flood control plan that integrates water flow management and effective flood interventions is critical in ensuring the protection of Filipinos from massive flood which disrupts their daily lives and causes damage to properties,” the lawmaker said.
“We invested in engineering-based solutions to effectively manage flooding in the city. We constructed ‘bombastik’ pumping stations in strategic locations, along with dikes and floodgates, to protect Navoteños from severe flooding,” he added.
Tiangco said the damage in the area could have been less if not for the damaged floodgates.
“Were it not for the damaged floodgate, all streets would have been passable because our 81 bombastik pumping stations were operational. This was our experience during Typhoon Ondoy,” he said.
Tiangco added that national agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should work with local government units in developing a national flood control plan so localized risks can be addressed specifically.
He said that repair and reinforcement of damaged infrastructure were imperative.
“That is why we are proposing a second floodgate for the Tangos-Tanza navigational gate to provide a functional backup in case the main gate was damaged or under repair,” Tiangco said.
The navigational gate was damaged when a fishing boat was forcibly towed through it in June. The incident resulted in the flooding of villages in Malabon and Navotas.
Tiangco added an upgrade was necessary because the gate was being overtopped during high tides of 1.8 to 2.1 meters.
He said that as early as 2022, he had requested the DPWH to fund the upgrade of the navigational gate.
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