MMDA chair named flood control chief by metro mayors
METRO mayors have given the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) full authority and control over all flood control programs in the metropolis.
“We all agreed that flood control management for … Metro Manila should be handled by the MMDA for better coordination and we designated [MMDA] Chairman [Francis] Tolentino as the flood control czar,” Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian said in an interview after the Metro Manila Council (MMC) meeting yesterday.
The MMC is composed of Metro Manila mayors and is the policy-making body of the MMDA.
“Whether the program is locally or foreign-funded, the MMDA should have control, responsibility and accountability over it,” Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista told the Inquirer in a separate interview.
The mayors, however, said that they wanted the MMDA to consult local government units first before it implements flood control projects.
The MMC’s decision to make Tolentino the flood control czar came after several parts of Metro Manila were submerged in floodwaters last week due to monsoon rains spawned by Tropical Storm “Falcon.”
The widespread flooding in the metropolis which resulted in heavy traffic and left hundreds of people stranded was attributed by the MMDA to the huge amount of rainfall brought by Falcon, clogged drainage systems and unfinished roadwork.
Tolentino earlier said that the amount of rain spawned by Falcon was more than what Metro Manila’s drainage system could accommodate.
In addition, many of the open waterways in the metropolis were clogged with tons of garbage, he explained.
“We have a 580-kilometer waterway in Metro Manila but 55 percent of that cannot be reached by our equipment because of obstructions like homes of informal settlers,” Tolentino said.
During yesterday’s meeting, the mayors pushed for a review of the existing memorandum of agreement between MMDA and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on the transfer of flood control management to the MMDA.
Bautista added that they were looking into the possibility of using calamity funds for pre-calamity or pre-disaster activities.
“Usually, we use the calamity fund after an eventuality, [it’s always] reactionary,” he said.
The mayors said that they also wanted to be consulted first on the ongoing study of a master plan for a Metro Manila flood control system.
The study was initiated by the DPWH and is being funded by World Bank.
Metro mayors also expressed disappointment over the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration’s failure to provide them with information that would allow them to make the necessary response during typhoons.
Science and Technology Undersecretary Graciano Yumul however, said he believed that they were able to provide timely and sufficient updates on Falcon although he added that he would also look into how they could improve information dissemination.
