Marcos touts effects of gov't interventions amid Metro Manila flooding

Amid the flooding in some areas in Metro Manila over the past days due to the heavy rains caused by the southwest monsoon or Habagat, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the flood control interventions of the government have yielded "good results" so far.

The President made the remark after he led a situation briefing with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) this afternoon regarding the effects of the Habagat.

"Sa ating nakuhang briefing ay nakita natin na may mga lugar na talaga namang tinamaan pa rin ng baha pero mas bawas na. Kung dati ay two storeys ang baha, eh ngayon siguro hanggang tuhod na lang. 'Yung iba, hindi na nabaha," Marcos said.

(In the briefing, we learned that there are areas that still got affected by floods but the water was less. If before, the flood was 2 storeys high, now it was only up to the knees. Other areas didn't get flooded anymore.)

"Ang isa pang bagay diyan ay mas mabilis na ang paglabas ng tubig. Kung dati mag-aantay ang tao ng dalawa o tatlong araw bago mawala ang baha, ngayon wala pang isang araw eh wala na," he added.

(Another thing is that the water is draining faster. If before, people would have to wait two to three days for the flood to subside, now it is gone in less than a day.)

Several roads in Metro Manila and other provinces have been flooded for the past few days due to effects of the Habagat, leaving many commuters and motorists stranded and stuck in traffic.

The President said dredging operations are ongoing in some areas, and the government is also looking at the continued upgrading of the seawalls, as well as other floodwater management efforts.

Marcos also noted that the government has identified 30 sites in Metro Manila that could be used as cisterns.

"There is still a lot of work that needs to be done. But with the effects that we have seen, because after all, if we look at the beginnings of the water management that we have done, this is the effect of the work of the last six, seven months na nakita natin, nakabawas kaagad (that we've seen and it's been helpful)," he said.

"Kaya't ipapagpatuloy natin ito (Thus we will continue these). And to make sure that we have solutions for the very short term, we have solutions for the medium term, and eventually we will have solutions for the longer term," he added.

According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Wednesday, the combined effects of Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay and the southwest monsoon has resulted in P3.5 billion in infrastructure damage, while agricultural damage was estimated at P1.4 billion.

The OCD recorded 27 deaths, 17 injuries, and one person still missing. — VDV, GMA News