WATCH: Magat Dam and the Cagayan-Isabela flooding: Is NIA to blame?

Some local government officials in Cagayan and Isabela consider the recent flooding in their areas as the worst they have experienced in four decades, with many residents left stuck on their rooftops after their homes were submerged underwater due to Typhoon Ulysses.

Local officials believe that one of the biggest contributors to the flooding in the two provinces was the discharge of water from Magat Dam, one of the largest dams in the Philippines along Magat River, which is a major tributary of the Cagayan River.

INQUIRER.net reporter Neil Arwin Mercado sits down with Wilfredo Gloria, Department Manager of the National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System, to discuss the decision to open the floodgates of Magat Dam.

Were the residents nearby informed of the hazards of the rushing waters? Did NIA lack in planning? Is NIA to blame for the flooding?