Lawmakers seek investigation into the causes of Luzon flood

Lawmakers in both houses of Congress pushed Tuesday for an investigation into widespread flooding in Luzon that they believed was due to human activity and not just the effect of successive typhoons that hit the country in recent weeks. In the Senate, opposition senator Risa Hontiveros presented a resolution for an investigation into severe flooding in the Cagayan and Rizal provinces and in the city of Marikina amid reports that they were caused by illegal logging and land grabbing. .

“We hear stories of tragedy every year and our people are already exhausted and angry, and for good reason. Let’s find out what is really causing this vicious cycle and change history once and for all, ”said Hontiveros.

Release of water from dams

In the House of Representatives, Bagong Henerasyon Representative Bernadette Herrera-Dy introduced two resolutions, the first of which cited the release of water from the Angat, Ipo, La Mesa, Ambuklao, Binga, San Roque and Magat dams as an aggravation of the floods in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Benguet, Cagayan, Isabela, Rizal and other provinces of Luzon caused by typhoons “Quinta” (international name: Molave) and “Rolly” (Goni), which hit the island late October and early November and “Ulises” (Vamco), which hit last week.

In his second resolution, Dy requested an investigation into illegal logging and quarrying in the Marikina Basin, a 126,125-hectare area above Metro Manila where commercial activities are prohibited.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lord Allan Velasco, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, and Minority Leader Joseph Paduano also presented a resolution seeking an investigation into the massive flooding in Cagayan and Isabela.

In the Senate, Hontiveros, when presenting his resolution, said that the government must study the gaps so that it can “create a policy that really prepares the country for future calamities.”

Senator Francis Pangilinan asked if the better controlled release of water from the Magat dam could have prevented what Isabela officials described as the worst flooding in the province in 45 years, or if sufficient warnings were given to residents in the most important places. affected by the flood.

Senators called for an investigation as reports and images of the devastation caused by the floods in the two provinces flooded the press and social media.

The Department of Agriculture said that the three typhoons that hit the country one after another caused P10.5 billion in damage to crops and farms, while the Department of Public Works and Highways estimated the damage to infrastructure in eight regions at P8 thousand millions.

In Metro Manila, the local government of Marikina estimated the damage caused by Ulises at P30 billion.

Ulysses death toll: 73

The National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management reported Tuesday that the death toll from Ulises had risen to 73. Twenty-four of the fatalities were from Cagayán, 17 from Calabarzón, 10 from the Administrative Region of Cordillera, eight from Metro Manila and Bicol. and six from Central Luzon.

The council said 19 people were still missing and another 24 were injured. He cautioned that the numbers could rise as he examined new reports of victims.

Hontiveros said illegal logging and land grabbing had increased the vulnerability of the country’s natural resources to intense typhoons.

“Conservation experts from Masungi Georeserve said that illegal activity in the Upper Marikina basin and the Sierra Madre [remained unabated], despite the legal protection of the National Integrated Protected System ”, said Hontiveros.

Hontiveros cited “shocking” images and audio recordings of Isabela residents calling for rescue as the water released from the Magat dam flooded their villages.

“The screams of our people sounded as if they were abandoned in the depths of hell. The floods took the lives and livelihoods of millions without warning, ”he said.

The devastation, he said, could have been avoided “if the alarm had been sounded before the dam was opened.”

“The devastation of the floods is upon us,” added Hontiveros.

Pangilinan said it was following the lead of Vice President Leni Robredo, who toured the damage caused by the floods in Cagayan and Isabela on Sunday.

Guidelines for multiple agencies

The head of the National Irrigation Administration in 2014 and 2015, Pangilinan said there should have been guidelines involving various agencies to discharge the water from the dams.

The water release should have been coordinated with the weather service and local governments, especially for early warning, Pangilinan said.

“The inspection and review of our existing alert stations and equipment should also have been carried out, and the warnings should have been via text messages, radio, local television broadcast, all possible means,” he added.

In the Chamber, Dy noted that seven gates of the Magat dam opened on November 12, discharging 6,244 cubic meters of water per second.

“This irresponsible release of millions of cubic meters of water further exacerbated flash floods, resulting in the loss of lives and millions [of pesos] in property damage, ”he said.

Dy said it was clear that the dam and the catchment operators were operating independently and without coordination with the national disaster management council.

“The management of these dams and hydrographic basins must be called to account for their actions with the full weight of the law. An investigation is necessary to determine the responsibility of dam operators in the [calamity] that took the lives and livelihoods of many Filipinos, ”he said.

Illegal activities

In Marikina, he said, the lack of watersheds and catchment basins, compounded by the increasing and incessant illegal activities in the Marikina watershed, “demonstrate that immediate and swift measures must be taken to better prepare the country for the repetitive but getting stronger from typhoons. “

There have been suggestions in recent days to involve the national council for disaster management in spilling water from the dams. Defense Secretary Delfín Lorenzana, president of the council, said Tuesday that he agreed with those suggestions and was studying the matter.

“I am in favor of that suggestion, as then we can direct the dams to gradually release water even before the typhoon hits,” Lorenzana told reporters.

Lorenzana, however, said there were other issues that should be considered when discharging water from the dams.

Take Magat, for example. It is also a hydroelectric plant, and the water runs in its generators, ”Lorenzana said, adding that if the water level in the reservoir drops, the power generator will not work.

Civic organizations also called for an investigation into the release of water from the Magat dam and for the government to speed up the delivery of aid to the thousands of people displaced by Ulises.

In a joint statement, the groups also asked Congress to review the proposed P4.5 billion budget for 2021 to make provisions for the “rehabilitation of communities in Bicol, South Tagalog, Marikina, Central Luzon, and the Cagayan Valley.”

They proposed that the 19 billion pesos allocated for an anti-insurgency task force be realigned with funds for the rehabilitation of communities devastated by recent typhoons. –REPORTS BY MELVIN GASCON, JULIE M. AURELIO, PATRICIA DENISE M. CHIU AND KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING INQ

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