Aquino still sore at Cotabato City mayor

ANGAT, Bulacan—Despite the rains triggered by Tropical Storm “Falcon,” President Benigno Aquino III on Friday visited this town where the Angat Dam is located, to supervise the launching of the Gawad Kalinga Center for Social Innovation (GKCSI) in Barangay (village) Encanto.

Mr. Aquino said he braved the rains because he found it “rewarding” to showcase GK’s Enchanted Farm, an entrepreneurial training and demonstration facility that was started last year.

He said he wanted a respite from news commentaries emanating from comments made this week by Cotabato City Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. about his trip there on June 22.

Guiani had said that the President failed to provide concrete solutions to Cotabato’s perennial flooding problems.

“Pagpalain na lang siya ng Diyos (God bless him),” said Mr. Aquino, who arrived at 9:30 a.m. clad in a black jacket.

But he offered some concern about the storm: “Sana matibay ang Angat Dam (I pray that the dam will be sturdy).”

The rains had raised the water levels of Angat to 195.99 meters above sea level (masl), still below its spilling level of 210.00 masl.

But operators of Ipo Dam, which is located below Angat, opened its flood gates on Thursday night. The dam has been releasing 151 cubic meters of water per second until Friday morning because the water elevation had almost breached the spilling level of 101.00 masl.

Felicisima Mungcal, chair of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the Ipo releases would not affect residents living near the river along Angat. Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon