Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said he fully supports the call to establish a comprehensive national plan for flood control to prevent and mitigate flooding in the country.
“The recent flooding in Metro Manila showed us that there is a need to prepare and be more proactive in our flood programs,” Tiangco said.
“Instead of being reactive to the effects of climate change, we should put in place a large-scale and long-term plan against floods,” he added
Tiangco made the statement after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. emphasized the need to update flood hazard maps.
“As the President noted, we were caught by surprise. Some areas that were not known to flood were submerged during the recent typhoon,” he said.
“Addressing the challenges of new weather patterns should be our top priority,” he added.
“We will only be able to do this if we take an integrated, inter-agency approach that will undertake a comprehensive review and analysis of current flood risks, as well as a multi-disciplinary approach to proposed mechanisms for flood control.”
The lawmaker noted that the problem of flooding has many dimensions, from climate change, urbanization, lack of infrastructure, and human behavior.
“The solutions must be as nuanced as the problem itself. All relevant agencies of government must come together – from national to local – if we hope to protect Filipinos from floods and other hazards. Proper funding must be allocated, and newer technologies explored,” he said.
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