‘Moderate to intense’ rains expected till Friday
BY VICTOR REYES and ASHZEL HACHERO
INTERIOR Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr yesterday declared Metro Manila under a state of calamity because of massive flooding caused by heavy rains from super typhoon “Carina” in the past days.
Abalos made the decision after a meeting with Metro Manila mayors who reported to him the effects of Carina that remained far from Philippine landmass but enhanced the southwest monsoon, bringing rains in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.
Carina intensified into a super typhoon yesterday, hours before making landfall in Taiwan, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
Abalos, during a meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) presided by President Marcos Jr, recommended that Metro Manila be placed under state of calamity “because of what is happening, especially in Metro Manila.”
He said among flooded areas were Pasay, Quezon City, Caloocan, Muntinlupa, Marikina, Taguig, Malabon, Navotas, Pasig and Manila.
Abalos said 80 percent of Navotas was flooded and 60 percent of Valenzuela.
He also reported flooding in Central Luzon, displacing a few thousand people.
The NDRRMC said 882,861 people were affected by the combined effects of the southwest monsoon, tropical depression “Butchoy” and typhoon Carina since July 11.
PAGASA, in a bulletin issued at 5 p.m. yesterday, said Batanes remained under wind signal No. 2.
It said Carina will continue to bring heavy rainfall until this afternoon in Batanes and Babuyan Islands.
Three areas are under Signal No. 1 — Babuyan Islands, northern portion of mainland Cagayan, and northern portion of Ilocos Norte.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the center Carina was some 380 km north of Itbayat, Batanes. It was moving northwestward at 20 kph, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 230 kph.
PAGASA said the southwest monsoon enhanced by Carina will bring “moderate to intense rainfall over various localities in the western portion of Luzon today (Wednesday) through Friday.”
Abalos, after the NDRRMC meeting, met with the Metro Manila Council, which was attended by 12 of the 17 mayors of Metro Manila. The mayors of Malabon, Marikina, Valenzuela, Las Piñas and Paranaque, which were among those severely affected by the flooding, were not in the meeting.
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, who is also chairman of the Metro Manila Council, moved to declare Metro Manila under state of calamity and subsequently supported by other officials.
“There is a motion to declare Metro Manila in state of calamity….The motion is hereby approved. Manila is now in a state of calamity,” Abalos said during the meeting.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte reported during the meeting that some 22,000 of her constituents have been displaced and are housed in 154 evacuation centers. She said 30 main roads are also impassable.
Belmonte requested additional search and rescue teams and boats as some of residents are trapped in their homes after refusing to heed calls to evacuate.
She said declaring state of calamity in Metro Manila will benefit the city. Local government units under state of calamity may access their cala
Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas placed the province under a state of emergency on Tuesday due to the effects of Carina.
Leviste said at least 15 percent of the population of Batangas has been affected by the calamity.
“Many areas were flooded and until now, there are areas that are not passable due to flooding,” said Leviste.
FATALITIES
The NDRRMC reported eight deaths but NDRRMC director Cesar Idio said they have yet to record any fatality related to Carina.
Local government and police officials reported at least five deaths — five in Batangas and two in Pampanga.
Four of the fatalities died after their house was buried by a landslide in Barangay Subic Ilaya in Agoncillo town in Batangas on Tuesday night.
The four included Denden Rimas, 27 who was six-month pregnant. The three others were her nine-year-old daughter Samantha and her two sisters – Lyca, 16; and Aiza, 13.
Citing information from the barangay captain, Agoncillo Mayor Cinderella Valenton Reyes said the victims did not heed calls of authorities to evacuate.
“The report of the barangay captain is they were asked to evacuate last night but did not evacuate because they feel more comfortable in their house (than in an evacuation center). They were buried in the landslide and their bodies were recovered just this morning,” said Reyes.
Reyes said some areas in the town were submerged by floodwaters, which he said were as high as the knee. She said there were other landslides in the town but did not give details.
The fifth fatality in Batangas was a “goto” (porridge) vendor who was hit by a fallen acacia tree in Nasugbu town on Tuesday night, police said.
In Pampanga, two persons, including a minor, died in a landslide in Angeles City yesterday morning, the Central Luzon police regional office said.
It said two persons are missing in Bataan but no additional details were provided.
The Central Luzon police said 528 families or 1,509 individuals were displaced in Bataan, Bulacan and Zambales. It said 139 barangays in Bulacan and Pampanga are flooded.
It said seven roads in Bulacan are not passable to vehicles.
GARBAGE
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said the agency’s 71 major and minor pumping stations are working around-the-clock to ease the flooding.
“Yes, our pumping stations are fully operational,” MMDA chair Romando Artes Artes said, adding that garbage also affected the flow of flood waters to the pumping stations.
The MMDA said drainages can accommodate 30mm per hour of flood water but their monitoring showed that 74mm per hour of rain for more than 10 hours have poured.
In May this year, Artes said the MMDA has identified 80 flood-prone areas in Metro Manila with flooding exacerbated by the haphazard dumping of garbage and the limited capacity of the drainage system in some areas in the metropolis.
Artes said they see the upgrading of Metro Manila’s drainage system as the long-term solution to flooding, especially in low-lying areas.
He said the high volume of flood waters during heavy rain caused by climate change can be addressed by upgrading the capacity of the drainage system.
Last year, Artes said a 50-year drainage master plan to mitigate flooding in the metropolis has gotten the approval of the World Bank.
The World Bank will provide the funding through a soft loan, with Artes saying the master plan, including a detailed engineering design will cost around P600 million.
The plan will also consider the changing weather pattern, sea level, and projected rainfall, Artes said, to make sure it is effective and will last for as much as five decades.
SEARCH, RESCUE
Southern Police District (SPD) Director Brig. General Leon Victor Rosete ordered the activation of search and rescue teams under his jurisdiction.
SPD covers the cities of Makati, Pasay, Taguig, Muntinlupa, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa and Pateros town.
Rosete said there are 142 evacuation centers in southern Metro Manila, with 36 currently occupied by 929 families and 3,278 individuals.
“The seven police stations of SPD, along with local barangay units, have collaborated in road clearing operations to remove fallen tree branches and debris obstructing the roads. Efforts have also been made to raise fallen barricades that could pose accident risks,” Rosete said.
He said in Makati, SPD cops assisted a local school by clearing garbage brought by floodwaters to prevent clogging and transferred approximately 5,000 textbooks, shoes, emergency kits, school uniforms, bags, and electronic gadgets to safer grounds to protect them from water damage.
The Philippine Army has dedicated some 1,500 troops, 119 land assets, and six waterborne assets to help in disaster response efforts.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil ordered the deployment of “all available forces and resources to reinforce areas and regions affected by typhoon Carina, as part of our humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts in coordination with relevant government agencies.”
The Philippine Air Force said its personnel from the 505th Search and Rescue Group rescued 100 residents of Barangay 183 in Pasay City who were affected by the flooding.
“The PAF remains on alert, ready to deploy additional resources as needed, and urges the public to stay vigilant and follow safety advisories,” it said in a statement.
ROADS
President Marcos Jr. ordered agencies to clear roads leading to areas that have been isolated due to the floods and landslides.
The President, during the NDRRMC’s situation briefing, said reaching out to isolated communities is a priority.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said that as of yesterday, 45,328 families from 225 barangays in regions I (Ilocos), II (Cagayan Valley), III (Central Luzon), IV-A (Calabarzon), IV-B (Mimaropa), V (Bicol), VI (Western Visayas), VII (Central Visayas), National Capital Region (NCR) and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) were affected.
A total of 1,702 families or 6,524 individuals were taking shelter in 126 evacuation centers while 376 families or 1,512 persons were temporarily staying with friends or relatives.
The DSWD said 175 houses were also damaged due to Craina and the habagat.
More than P410,325 worth of food and non-food relief items were distributed by the DSWD and concerned local government units to those affected by Carina.
The President, in a social media post, said more than P43.15 million worth of humanitarian aid were distributed to areas in the Visayas and Mindanao which were affected by the monsoon rains.
The Office of the Speaker together with the Tingog party-list group launched relief operations starting in Marikina City.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, his wife Rep. Yedda Romualdez of Tingog party-list and Rep. Jude Acidre, also of Tingog, led the relief operations to provide an initial 20,000 food packs from the Disaster Relief Funds of the Speaker to aid and support affected communities.
According to House Deputy Secretary General Sofonias Gabonada, the relief effort has prepared 20,000 relief food packs containing three kilos of rice, canned goods, coffee and other items.
LEGAL ACTION
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco demanded legal action against the company responsible for damaging the Tangos-Tanza Navigational Gate, saying the city government’s 81 pumping stations would have been able to control flooding if the gate was working.
Tiangco said flooding in Navotas had been managed since the city government built “bombastik” pumping stations, now at 81, that siphon off water during heavy rains and high tide.
“In fact, during (typhoon) Ondoy (in 2009), flooding was controlled even if we only had 24 bombastik stations at that time,” he said in a statement.
Tiangco said he is closely coordinating with the MMDA, the agency with jurisdiction over filing a case against the responsible company, to ensure that the owners of the boat and tugboats at fault will be held accountable.
“We’re studying the legal options available to make those responsible for the damage of the navigational gate accountable,” he said, adding that the floodgate was damaged after a vessel, towed by tugboats, collided with it.
Tiangco also said the local government of Navotas continues to assist in evacuating residents from critical areas to the designated evacuation centers in each barangay. Trucks have been deployed under the city’s Libreng Sakay program, which are plying the C4-Tangos and C4-SRV routes to provide assistance to residents.
DAMAGE
Initial cost of damage to the agriculture sector was placed at P156.79 million, according to latest data from the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center.
The DA attached agency said as of noon yesterday, Carina’s total cost of damage is equivalent to 1,096 metric tons (MT) of goods tended by 7,677 farmers and fisherfolk in 8,821 hectares of affected areas.
The DA also said among forms of assistance available for distribution to affected farmers and fishers are 72,174 bags of rice seeds; 39,546 bags of corn seeds; 59,600 pouches and 1,966 kilograms of vegetable seeds.
The agency added there is also the Survival and Recovery Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council with loanable amount of up to P25,000 payable in three years at zero interest; quick response fund for the rehabilitation of affected areas; and indemnification from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. — With Jocelyn Montemayor, Christian Oineza, Jed Macapagal, and Wendel Vigilia
