Marikina mayor: Ondoy, 2012 Habagat still worse

Despite the swelling of the Marikina River to 19 meters on Tuesday, Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman said they were better off now than in 2009 and 2012 when serious incidents of flooding  also hit the city.

In an interview on GMA News TV's "News To Go" on Wednesday, De Guzman said water level at the river had since gone down to between 15 and 16 meters, from Tuesday afternoon's critical 19 meters, which drove 32,000 residents out of their homes.

"Mas matindi pa rin ang sa Ondoy at habagat noong nakaraang taon," he said, referring to the deadly cyclone that hit many Luzon areas in 2009 and the heavy monsoon rain that hit Metro Manila late last year.

To compare this year's situation to previous years, De Guzman cited as an example the Provident Village, a group of three posh subdivisions beside the Marikina River that was totally flooded during the time of Ondoy.

"(Ngayon) medyo bumabaha man pero tatlong kalye lang ang inabot sa pinakamababang lugar. Hindi na sila masyadong binaha at magaling ang paraan natin na ginawa doon para makontrol ang pagbaha sa Provident," De Guzman said without elaborating.



Ondoy, Habagat 2012

During the Ondoy onslaught, a sea of brown dominated the Provident Villages, with mud coating every surface on the subdivision, from trees and cars to front yards and roofs.

Many houses had shattered glass windows. Cars lay topsy-turvy on the streets, and electricity in the subdivision was totally cut off.

Of the more or less 500 people killed by Ondoy, 68 were from Marikina, a city of 16 barangays.

Ondoy poured a record amount of rainfall over Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon, affecting 4.8 million people and leaving P11 billion worth of crops and infrastructure damaged in its wake.

Meanwhile, a year ago, in early August, water level at the Marikina River peaked at 20.6 meters due to torrential monsoon rains, way above the critical level, forcing local officials to sound the fifth alarm — the highest — as soon as the water level breached the 19-meter mark.

The monsoon rains of 2012 soaked Metro Manila and surrounding provinces and drove almost 50,000 Marikeños out of their homes and into 22 public schools-turned-evacuations centers, as well as gymnasiums and churches. There were no recorded deaths.

Drizzle

As of Wednesday morning, De Guzman said the city was experiencing several drizzles throughout the day but expressed hopes this would no longer cause the river to swell again.

"Hopefully iyong ulan lang kanina iyon at hindi naman masyado malakas at bumaba na uli ito," he said.

The mayor said local government rescuers are still on stand by and monitoring the situation.

Some 6,600 families composed of 32,000 individuals have already been sent to evacuations centers, De Guzman said as he appealed to the evacuees to remain steadfast despite some delays in relief operations.

"Nade-delay lang dahil sa dami, like iyong mga gamit sa pagluluto... kaya konting tiis lang sa mga kababayan nating nasalanta," he said.

He said donations in cash and kind could be made at the Marikina Sports Center near the city hall.

De Guzman also assured the evacuees that their personal belongings that were left unattended inside their flooded homes would be secured by local police and village officials.

"Hindi maiwasan na sa bawat isang pamilya sa isang bahay, may nagpapaiwan pero napaka-delikado noon," he said.

"Pero katulong po ang pulis at barangay minamanmanan po iyan na kapag walang tao sa bahay, tinitiyak natin na ma-secure iyon," De Guzman added. — Mark Merueñas/KBK, GMA News