President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. PHOTO SCREENGRABBED FROM RTVM
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday led the inauguration of a flood control project in Pampanga, one of the provinces severely affected by flooding caused by southwest monsoon enhanced by Typhoon Carina.
Marcos said the P7-billion Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (IDRR-CCA) aims to mitigate flood damage in the province by increasing the discharge capacity of the Third River, the Eastern Branch River, the Sapang Maragul River, and the Caduang Tete River.
According to the President, the flooding in Pampanga was exacerbated by the heavy siltation along the streams, rivers, and all the waterways in the province caused by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991.
The low-lying municipalities of Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, and Sto. Tomas are most affected by the flooding, and the project is seen to cushion the effects in these towns, the chief executive said.
“Once it is fully completed, the IDRR-CCA will reduce the flood level and flood duration from [66] days to 17 days in the municipalities of Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, and Sto. Tomas,” Marcos said during the launch of IDRR-CCA at the Sapang Maragul Sluice Gate in Masantol town.
In his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) last month, Marcos noted that more than 5,500 flood projects have already been completed under his administration.
READ: Marcos proposes 10 flood control projects worth P500-B by 2037
Two days after his Sona, heavy rains brought by Carina and the southwest monsoon flooded many parts of the country, killing 48 people.
A number of people in Pampanga died due to flash floods and landslides caused by the combined effects of Carina and the southwest monsoon, locally called habagat.
READ: Central Luzon bears brunt of Carina
“The province has also suffered perennial loss of [lives] and damage to properties due to heavy flooding,” Marcos said. “So, it had to be addressed through the construction of these flood control structures.”
READ: NDRRMC: 2 more deaths due to Butchoy, Carina, monsoon reported