MANILA, Philippines — Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has relieved a maintenance chief following reports of delayed response to calamities, as heavy rains continued to trigger flooding across Metro Manila and several parts of Luzon.
In an Aug. 29 memorandum, Dizon ordered engineer Loreto Balena Jr. relieved as maintenance chief of the Las Piñas-Muntinlupa District Engineering Office.
Dizon cited Balena’s “unsatisfactory performance, lack of urgency, and delayed response to calamities” as grounds for his removal.
Balena was directed to complete an inventory of his office’s properties, finish and sign pending documents and deliverables, and turn over official records and other papers.
READ: Flooded areas in Metro Manila on Saturday morning
Sen. JV Ejercito, meanwhile, urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to complete unfinished flood control projects before starting new ones, saying incomplete infrastructure could worsen the country’s vulnerability to flooding.
“For practical reasons, we need to close the gaps so that mitigating or solving flood control would be effective,” Ejercito, chair of the Senate finance committee, told dzBB on Sunday.
“Close the gaps, complete the unfinished flood control projects. No new projects. Finish what needs to be finished,” he added.Ejercito’s call came amid renewed scrutiny of the government’s multibillion-peso flood control program and concerns over unfinished or poorly implemented projects.
He also pushed for the proposed Masterplan for Infrastructure National Development, which he said would provide a long-term framework for infrastructure planning that would survive changes in administrations.
The proposed measure would integrate flood control with transportation, housing, water, energy, utilities and other major infrastructure, rather than allowing projects to be planned and implemented separately.
Ejercito said the government should prioritize the country’s 10 most flood-prone areas and use a 30- to 50-year framework to guide major infrastructure investments.
He said long-term planning could also strengthen accountability by giving projects clear objectives, timelines and costs and help prevent corruption by ensuring that projects form part of a coherent national plan.
Rain volume
The warnings came as Metro Manila was placed under a red rainfall warning by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) at 12:10 p.m. on Sunday.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said the metropolis had 186 millimeters of rain in 23 hours from 9 a.m. on Saturday to 8 a.m. on Sunday, based on data from the Pagasa Science Garden Station in Quezon City. A millimeter of rain amounts to a liter of water on a flat area.
Serious flooding remained possible in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
The MMDA said it was deploying mobile pumps, clearing clogged drains and waterways, dredging and removing debris and garbage from drainage inlets as part of its flood mitigation efforts.
Classrooms damaged
The prolonged rains have also taken a toll on schools.
The Department of Education said 9,869 classrooms had been damaged by the combined effects of the “habagat” (southwest monsoon) and tropical cyclones “Luis,” “Maymay,” “Neneng” and “Obet.”
Of the total, 5,731 classrooms sustained minor damage, 2,055 suffered major damage and 2,083 were totally damaged, according to the latest DepEd situation report as of 8 a.m. Sunday.
Central Luzon had the highest number of affected classrooms and schools, with 3,732, followed by Region I with 2,746 and the Cordillera Administrative Region with 1,266.
DepEd estimated that P280 million would be needed for minor repairs, P1 billion for major repairs and P5.2 billion for reconstruction.
At least 59 schools also experienced flooding, including 47 in Central Luzon. —WITH REPORTS FROM SHERIDAN DELFINO, TINA G. SANTOS, AND ANDREA GREGORIO