San Pedro: Act Now

THE Aquino government should now rush the construction of three flood-control projects in Valenzuela, Marikina and Laguna de Bay in a bid to provide a long-term solution to the flooding in Metro Manila and the provinces such as Bulacan and Pampanga.

The capital City of San Fernando was a virtual water world last week with the rains inundating parts of the GSO Road in the central business district all the way to Barangay Sto. Domingo, Mexico town. While Pampanga residents scrambled for free fish that apparently escaped from fish pens in flooded areas, most of them had to be evacuated to higher grounds.

Our relatives in Barangay Sto. Domingo left their houses for days, reaching the City of San Fernando aboard trucks. It’s the same predicament that had been experienced by over 2 million Filipinos.

The experts have been saying that humanity had been causing the ubiquitous flooding because of environmental neglect, poor planning, lax enforcement and self-interests of cunning politicians who provide only piece-meal solution to the problem. Damaged watersheds, massive squatter colonies living in danger zones and the neglect of drainage systems spell destructive floods. In Clark, the watersheds had been apparently been affected by the construction of more golf courses.

By all means, please start those three flood-control projects to address the perennial issue of flooding. Those affected by the floods should be proactive in the bid to resolve the flooding problem less we will experience the same problem all over again with no definite end in sight.

Perhaps the Aquino government should increase the budget of the Public Works and the Disaster Coordinating Council. Improve the drainage system, relocate squatter colonies, protect the environment, the list goes on and on. And where are the wily politicians? Busy with photo-ops that is.

The southwest monsoon reportedly damaged some P1.095 billion worth of crops, livestock and fishery products in Central Luzon with Pampanga province the hardest hit. Pampanga reportedly loss P601.067 million in fisheries and P233.98 in crops due to the flooding. At least P11.97 million of high-value crops such as vegetables and P288,500 in livestock were also lost.

We do not need politicians dashing for photo-op at the sight of reporters, we need conscientious leaders who will do anything for the unsuspecting people.