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Thursday, July 11, 2002
Flood control is MMDA's function: GMA
PRESIDENT Arroyo Wednesday challenged the different groups and individuals opposing her decision to transfer the flood control management program from the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to sue her in court to determine whether what she did was unlawful or not.
Arroyo issued the call, assured that the court would support her decision.
"I got these oppositions and then they called me and then they even said they would take me to court. I said go ahead. Go ahead, if I lose in the Supreme Court fine. I would obey the Supreme Court because that's what the Constitution requires. But I'm not going to lose in the Supreme Court because the law says the flood control function goes to the MMDA," she said.
The Chief Executive said that flood control program is well within the jurisdiction of the MMDA as stated in its charter and the law that created the MMDA.
She added that the DPWH already has a big responsibility, which covers the entire country and transferring the flood control to the MMDA would lighten their load and enable them to implement their other functions.
Public Works Secretary Simeon Datumanong during the weekend revealed that several congressmen and some mayors from Metro Manila had opposed the transfer which should have been implemented as early as last year.
Datumanong, however, was puzzled as to the reason why some Metro Manila solons were blocking the transfer of the flood control responsibility to the MMDA.
But, he said, the solons probably thought that the DPWH could do a better job in managing the flood control program or simply thought that it is part of their mandate.
The DPWH and the MMDA had already inked an agreement facilitating the transfer of the responsibility along with some of the allocated funding for the projects under the flood control management except projects that had already been started and several "Major flood control projects" that specified the DPWH to undertake the task and handle the allocation. |
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