MANILA, Philippines ? Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. is not about to forget the destruction wrought by Tropical Storm Ondoy, and wants to file a class action suit against those responsible for the allegedly "reckless release of water from dams" near Metro Manila, which he believes contributed to the rapid rise of floodwaters last weekend.

Pimentel, who had to vacate his own home in Marikina City, said he would file a civil case to sue for damages against the administrators of the dams. Those whose properties were damaged in the flood are welcome to join him, he added.

Officials of Bulacan, which hosts the Angat and Ipo dams, have said that the water releases should not be blamed for the massive flooding in Metro Manila and Central Luzon. The amount of rain that fell on Sept. 26 was unusually high.

But Pimentel is not satisfied. He is already talking with lawyers and is studying facts and collecting evidence in order to find out which dam managers failed to take necessary precautions or ?recklessly? allowed water to flow out of the dams. The La Mesa, Angat and Ipo dams are near Metro Manila.

?Yes, I would like to have a class suit filed and we will ask people who feel that they have also been damaged to join if they want to,? Pimentel told reporters at the Kapihan sa Sulo forum.

The Senator believes that the very sudden rise in floodwaters was due in part to the water from the dams, and not just the unusually heavy rainfall.

He said his home in a Marikina subdivision, which had never been flooded in more than 25 years, was submerged in water in record time.

Marikina was among the hardest hit by Ondoy. Almost all of its villages were submerged in deep floodwaters. For many hours, residents were stranded on rooftops, while cars floated like toys in the roiling waters. When the water level came down, many people were found to have drowned, while a thick, brown muck covered streets and homes.