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Senate probe sought on factors behind massive flooding in Luzon


Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. has filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation into the massive flooding that devastated houses, infrastructures, and crops in Luzon.

In Senate Resolution 570, Revilla urged the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry on the factors behind the flooding in a bid to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

He stressed that in just a span of three weeks, five severe weather disturbances pummeled several parts of the country and caused destruction especially in low-lying areas.

Typhoon Ulysses, the latest one to enter the Philippines, displaced over 1.7 individuals or more than 428,000 families from the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Metro Manila, and Cordillera Administrative Region.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council earlier in the day agreed to recommend the declaration of state of calamity over the entire Luzon.

Though acknowledging that opening the gates of the various overflowing dams were necessary, Revilla believes this also contributed to the volume of flood that affected the low-lying areas surrounding them.

Thus, he said strategic infrastructure that would catch these should be created.

"We must anticipate that the dams will release water, so dapat may mga naka-in place na imprastruktura tulad ng dadaluyan ng tubig at sasalo nito, para huwag rumagasa at manalanta ng mga kabahayan," he said in a statement.

President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, attributed the stronger typhoons and flooding to climate change.

He also tasked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to investigate the illegal mining activities which may have caused landslides during the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses. — Dona Magsino/RSJ, GMA News

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