Discipline, cleanliness needed to address flood problem, says DILG official

THE ONE THAT ALMOST GOT AWAY A lone taxicab braves the knee-high waters outside the gates of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, only to conk out midway through a flooded stretch of Edsa. Flash floods from heavy rains stranded vehicles and brought traffic to near-standstill in the metro for more than an hour in this file photo in August 2018. —SCREENSHOT FROM MMDA METROBASE

MANILA, Philippines — People need to be more disciplined when it comes to cleanliness, said Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Usec. Lord Villanueva on Monday.

When asked how the DILG planned to respond to the widespread flooding in Metro Manila during the rainy weekends, Villanueva said.

“I have a one word answer for you, and that’s disiplina. Disiplina, I think, ang napakakulang sa ating mga mamamayan ngayon. Ngayon, kaakibat sa disiplina ay ang kalinisanm” said Villanueva during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing.

(I have a one word answer for you, and that’s discipline. I think discipline is lacking among our citizens today. Now, discipline is connected with cleanliness.)

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Villanueva said that the DILG had recently launched the Barangay Clean-up Day.

“We are trying to ensure that each barangay is responsible for its own area,” he said.

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The DILG Usec. said that trash tracks had been installed in estuaries to keep track which barangays are responsible for garbage. Each barangay should also have an ecological solid waste management system, said Villanueva.

Over the weekend, Metro Manila traffic was worsened by massive flooding, most notably along Edsa.

JPV