METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Romando Artes told lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Wednesday that garbage that clogged waterways worsened the floodings that hit Metro Manila last week.
“These are the ones contributing [to the flooding] as it slows the pumping of water to the pumping stations and clogs up waterways that remove floods faster,” Artes said.
He added that the “vicious cycle” persisted despite sustained clean-up operations by the MMDA.
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes. PHOTOS BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
Artes said the 2022–2024 General Appropriations Act mandated a mere P5.209 billion budget for flood control programs, not P787.6 billion.
“That includes the maintenance and operations of flood control and pumping stations and the [salaries of] people who man them,” he said.
Quezon City Rep. Franz Pumaren chided the Department of Public Works and Highways for not reporting the entirety of flood control projects funded by the World Bank under the Metro Manila Flood Control Program during the hearing.
Pumaren criticized the DPWH for poor assessment of the Batasan River Basin and the substandard construction of retaining walls in the 5th district of Quezon City.
Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano said a long-term solution to Metro Manila flooding would take a while to formulate.
Deputy Speaker David Suarez, on the other hand, said the government should look for new and innovative ways to address climate change.
Surigao del Sur Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the Congress is ready to help create a “science-based” solution to resolve floodings in Metro Manila.
“We should look at whether the engineering design is not apt or whether there was nothing being done to help in the prevention of the floods in the area or whether there were flood control projects on paper but were not executed,” Barbers said.
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