Roque doubts legal action vs Magat Dam management will prosper

Proponents of a planned legal action against the management of Magat Dam over the severe flooding in Cagayan and Isabela following Typhoon Ulysses’ onslaught are staring at bleak prospects, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday.

A former trial lawyer, Roque said those pushing for accountability from Magat management should prove that the release of water from the dam was the main reason for the massive flooding.

“I have serious doubts if it will prosper,” Roque said at a news conference.

“Number one, it really is a valley so talagang ang tubig papunta diyan and a scientific study has already concluded na ang primary reason for these flash floods: deforestation, illegal mining, and the contour of the river itself plus the fact that it has to be dredged,” he added.

Roque, however, acknowledged the right of local government units to file charges after Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said last weekend that his constituents have repeatedly come up to him urging him to bring the Magat Dam management to court for the yearly floods hitting the northern Luzon province.

Magat Dam had seven gates open at one point on November 12 and released water equivalent to around two swimming pools per second, according to government data.

Roque said the dam would have collapsed if water was not released, which according to President Rodrigo Duterte would have been a "catastrophe."

National Irrigation Administration administrator Ricardo Visaya on Monday said the Magat Dam reservoir was receiving water from eight tributaries coming from Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya, so even if Ulysses did not directly hit the Magat Dam area, water continuously poured into the reservoir.

Visaya also said discharge protocols were followed while Duterte indicated on Sunday that concerned residents were informed about the release of water from the dam ahead of time.—AOL, GMA News