Sunday, May 18, 2008 Malilong: For a sane flood control system By Frank Malilong The Other Side
THE good news is that the hot and dry days are gone. The bad news is that the rains have begun to pour.
The weather bureau says that the wet season is on, one week earlier than usual. But that is not an excuse to offer why our officials have been caught off-guard again. Or is “napping” the more appropriate term?
The house owner who does not fix the leaks in his roof during the summer deserves to soak in the rain. What do the government officials, who do nothing to improve the drainage and repair the roads when they could, deserve? Drown in overflowing potholes or swept into the sea by rampaging waters?
The house owner can at least claim that he didn’t know the roof leaked until it rained. The officials, on the other hand, know from past experience where the floods occur and what caused them. The former may be pardoned for his ignorance but you cannot extend any clemency to the officials who are guilty of inexcusable, in fact even criminal, neglect.
How else can you describe the continued failure to implement a working flood control in the lowlands amid the systematic destructions of our mountains? What happened to the residents of Guadalupe who saw their homes virtually floating after a few hours of rain was portentous. Water seeks its own level and you’ll see them cascading down the bald mountains to the slopes when it pours. And then what?
Because there is no sane flood control system in place, the water will take their natural course, which means to anywhere. Look at what is happening to the Guadalupe Heights Village. At the slightest hint of rainfall, residents occupying the lower portion of the subdivision have to move their cars to safer grounds otherwise they’d be submerged in floodwaters coming from the mountains.
About eight years ago when I was caught by heavy rains while visiting with family friends in the village, I had to wade in waist-deep waters in order to get out. I can imagine how deeper it is now, what with all the subdivisions sprouting farther up.
And what about the former San Jose de la Montaña (now Juan Luna) Ave.? What about Sanciangko St.? These are historically flood-prone areas, two of the many that are in the city. And do we still remember the tragedy that befell the family who were trapped to their death by floodwaters in Mabolo?
We are told that we already have a drainage program which could not be implemented, however, because we don’t have the money. The city is cash-strapped; it doesn’t have enough funds to protect us from something like the Ormoc disaster.
We can swallow that. But can we not at least expect the government to declare in the meantime a moratorium on subdivision development? Can we not save our mountains or whatever is left of them from mass destruction?
Or do we have to wait for Mother Nature to exact a payback?
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Just for the record. Misty Hupp, our managing partner, has informed me that as of Thursday last week, the services of our law office have been engaged by two of the respondents in the administrative case arising from the video recording of the surgical procedure on a patient at the Don Vicente Sotto Medical Memorial Center.
I apologize to the readers who asked that their views be accommodated in this space but for obvious ethical reasons, I have to refrain from ever mentioning the case in this column again.
