Baha, baha, paano ka mawawala?
Last of 2 parts
KAYANG tugunan ang problema na ito dahil alam naman natin kung bakit bumabaha, at may plano nang na-approve nung 2012 pa para tugunan ito: ang Metro Manila Flood Management Project.
Approved in 2012 and launched in 2017, the Metro Manila Flood Management Project is funded by the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and seeks to improve flood management in selected areas of Metro Manila.
According to the project abstract, this project is composed of four components. First, the modernization of drainage areas that will involve the construction of 20 new pumping stations and the upgrading of an estimated 36 existing pumping stations and complementary infrastructure. It also involves the improvement of associated waterways and drainage channels, and the development of new drains, when required.
The second component involves minimizing solid waste in waterways, while the third component involves participatory housing and resettlement. The fourth component — project management and coordination — will provide support for the operation of the project management offices in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) with respect to the management and coordination of their respective parts of the project.
This project has been approved and already has funding, Mr. Speaker, but this representation believes that efforts must be made to fast-track its implementation, especially given the project status indicators as of Oct. 31, 2021. Allow me to cite a few examples:
– By Nov. 30, 2024, the target is 4,900 flood-prone areas that are free of water within 24 hours after a major rainfall event. As of Oct. 31, 2021, the number accomplished is 61.
– Out of the 2,500 targeted households that need to be resettled from areas that obstruct drainage systems, none has been resettled.
– Out of the 36 pumping stations that need to be rehabilitated, only one has been rehabilitated.
– Only three out of the 200 target barangay have improved solid waste management progrmas inplace.
– The project targets the construction of 20 new pumping stations by the end of November 2024. None has been completed.
Mr. Speaker, friends and colleagues, this project was approved in 2012; the funding was approved by the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in September 2017; it is scheduled for completion in 2024. However, given the status indicators I cited previously, interventions may be necessary so that the project can be completed on time so that relief from chronic flooding in Metro Manila can come sooner, rather than later.
In this regard, this representation would like to put forward some recommendations in order to fasttrack this project and other Metro Manila flood control projects.
Una sa lahat, mukhang napapanahon na para mag-designate ng isang opisyal mula sa ehekutibo na tututok sa flood control projects. By designating a “flooding czar” in the Cabinet, someone will be primarily responsible for ensuring proper coordination between the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and the NCR’s various local governments with regard to flood control projects.
This representation also urges the DPWH to allocate funds in order to conduct a study that will determine the feasibility of the following:
– The construction of retarding ponds in malls, basketball box culverts under our roads — measures that are implemented in other countries like Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore;
– The relocation of informal settlers where retarding ponds will be constructed;
– The construction of high rise walls and pumping stations at the San Juan River; and
– The assessment of the master plan for flood control of Metro Manila and surrounding areas.
The American environmentalist Paul Hawken points out that “most floods are caused by man, not weather.” In the case of our nation’s capital, this is especially true, but we do not have time to rue over the environmental missteps of the past. It is up to us to find solutions so that our people and our cities are not paralyzed and immobilized after each and every heavy downpour.
We cannot go to our constituents and tell them to accept flooding as a reality they have to live with. ‘Pag may baha, walang klase. ‘Pag may baha, walang trabaho. ‘Pag may baha, bilanggo tayo sa sarili nating tahanan. ‘Pag may baha, bahala na si Batman.
Paano naman magiging kaakitakit ang Pilipinas sa mga foreign investors kung ang sentro ng negosyo ay nagsasara tuwing umuulan ng malakas? How can we tout ourselves as “Asia’s Fastest Rising Star” when all of us must worry when the sky dims?
Let us not wait for the next heavy downpour to wash away our dreams and hopes for a flood-free, progressive Metro Manila. With over five years left in his term, the President with our help can leave a lasting imprint in efforts to finally solve the flooding problems in Metro Manila. Magtulungan po tayo para tugunan ang baha at mabawasan ang problema na ikinakaharap ng ating mga kababayan.