DPWH chief remains optimistic of solving Metro Manila’s flood problem

MANILA, Philippines – The wild weather has once again exposed Metro Manila’s vulnerability to floods despite government stepped up efforts to fight the deluge.

But Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson remained optimistic of solving the perennial problem and on Monday he said they were getting closer to clearing the waterways of makeshift homes.

In an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990AM, Singson claimed that many of the 20,000 informal settlers the government was set to relocate this year already “understood that they cannot stay in the waterways.”

“They have accepted the fact that they have to leave,” he said, pointing out that they were working closely with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the transfer of the informal settlers.

Singson said that they were set to start work on eight waterways in the metropolis, the San Juan River being a priority as it affects much of the Quezon City area when it overflows.

“The San Juan River is critical in this project,” he said.

The 20,000 families they were going to relocate lived in homes blocking the flow of water in this river and the esteros in the city of Manila which converge in the Manila Bay.

Singson said that the families would be moving to in-city and off-site relocation areas as determined by the other three agencies.

Once cleared of the illegal settlers’ homes, the DPWH chief said that they would be able to start cleaning up the waterways in an effort to “restore their carrying capacities.”

The DPWH had been laying out its initial plans to fix flooding problems but Singson said that the recent weather disturbance had made operations difficult for his officers.

For more of the interview, listen to the sound clip from Radyo Inquirer 990AM.