Palace on Habagat floods: 'No holidays for President'

Malacañang on Monday said that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos and concerned agencies are continuously responding to areas affected by the severe flooding due to the heavy rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat).

In a video message, Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro said that there is no holiday for the President amid the situation. August 31 is National Heroes’ Day in the Philippines.

“Minomonitor ng Pangulo ang lagay ng panahon. Sa paglakas muli ng ulan itong gabi ng Biyernes at Sabado, ang mga miyembro ng gabinete ay muling nag-update sa Pangulo at inutos ng Pangulo na dapat na lahat ng apektadong lugar at apektadong mga residente, siguraduhin hindi magugutom at kumpleto pati ang non-food kits,” she said.

(The President is monitoring the weather situation. As the rains intensified again on Friday night and Saturday, Cabinet members provided the President with updates, and he directed that all affected areas and residents be ensured of food supplies and non-food kits.)

“Sa mga ganitong klaseng sitwasyon, hindi kailangang utusan pa ng Pangulo ang mga nasabing miyembro ng gabinete dahil alam nila kung ano ang nais ng Pangulo, mabilis na aksyon. Walang holiday-holiday sa Pangulo,” she added.

(In situations like this, the President does not need to issue specific orders to the concerned Cabinet members because they already know what he wants, which is swift action. For the President, there are no holidays.)

Castro said Marcos is set to lead a response meeting in Central Luzon and Metro Manila within the day, along with officials from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to get flood updates.

Over the weekend, the President was criticized on social media following the circulation of videos showing him singing at First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos’ birthday celebration despite the inclement weather.

Stolen equipment

Castro likewise lamented the incident where pumping station equipment was reportedly stolen in Metro Manila, which resulted in several pumping stations failing to operate amid the heavy rains.

She said the President and concerned agencies have been doing everything possible to alleviate the flooding problem in the country, but such pilfering discredits the government’s efforts.

“Dahil sa mga ninakaw na mahahalagang piyesa ng pumping stations hindi sila gagana. Gagastos tayo ulit para sa mga replacement na ito. Paano kung walang makuha agad na replacement? Hindi agad maiaayos ang mga ito na magdudulot na naman ng mabagal na paghupa ng baha,” she said.

(Due to the stolen parts of the pumping stations, they will not work. We will spend more money on these replacements. What if we do not get replacements immediately? These cannot be repaired immediately, which will cause the flood waters to slowly subside again.)

“Huwag tayo maging makasarili. Buhay, kalusugan, at ari-arian ang maaapektuhan dahil sa mga pagnanakaw na ito. Huwag ninyong isabotahe ang mga proyekto ng Pangulo. Magtulungan po tayo,” she added.

(Let’s not be selfish. Lives, health, and livelihood will be affected because of these thefts. Do not sabotage the President’s projects. Let’s help one another.)

The Palace official thus issued a stern warning against those “sabotaging” the government’s flood control projects.

“Sa lahat ng mga gumagawang pananabotahe na ito, kayo po ay hahabulin ng batas. Papanagutin po namin kayo dahil buhay at kabuhayan ang maaaring maapektuhan ng inyong mga makasariling gawain,” she emphasized.

(For all those who are sabotaging these projects, the law will run after you. We will hold you accountable because your selfish actions affect lives of people and their livelihoods.)
—RF, GMA News