By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday visited the cities of Valenzuela and Navotas to assess the impact of Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat, and to provide relief assistance to affected residents.
After leading a situation briefing at the Presidential Security Command Headquarters in Manila, Marcos headed to Valenzuela to visit the city’s command center.
Valenzuela City is one of the cities that remains submerged in floodwaters after the La Mesa Dam overflowed Wednesday, with chest-deep floods reported in some areas.
The President said dam operators must warn their respective local government units (LGUs) and the communities within their vicinity before opening their gates.
“May weakness tayo doon, do’n sa communication. Kapag magbubukas ng dam, ‘pag aapaw, kailangan ‘yung downstream communities alam nila and the LGUs. Para ‘yung mga LGU marami na silang magagawa. You give them as much as, sasabihin, tatlong oras, pwede na siguro yun… apat na oras,” Marcos said.
The President got on a military truck and went through the flooded roads of Valenzuela City to visit Malanday National High School to bring relief goods to evacuees.
The Chief Executive also visited Navotas to inspect the city’s damaged navigational gate.
While en route, Marcos also distributed boxes of relief goods to flood-hit residents.
The heavy rainfall on Wednesday worsened the situation in Navotas due to the damaged navigational gate that should have served as the coastal city’s barrier during high tide.
The entire Metro Manila is currently under a state of calamity as Typhoon Carina and the enhanced habagat triggered massive floods across the capital region.
PNP’s rescue efforts
Philippine National Police (PNP) Spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the PNP’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts are focused in Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon.
“The hardest-hit areas in the NCR (National Capital Region) are the cities of Valenzuela and Malabon. We had difficulties entering these areas because of high floods that reached roofs of houses. It was only early this morning when our rescue teams, together with the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), PCG (Philippine Coast Guard), and the NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council), were able to gradually enter these areas as the floods have subsided,” she said in Filipino.
As of Thursday morning, the NDRRMC reported that 14 people died from the effects of bad weather, along with two missing and two injured.
Out of the fatalities, eight have been confirmed – four in Zamboanga Peninsula and one each in Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the NCR.
Meanwhile, reports of another six deaths – five in Calabarzon and one in NCR – are still undergoing validation.
‘Immeasurable’ floods
During the situation briefing at the Presidential Security Command in Manila, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. told President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that various areas in Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan and Rizal saw “immeasurable” flood levels as some houses were fully inundated.
The NCR and the provinces of Oriental Mindoro, Batangas, Cavite, Bataan, and Bulacan have declared a state of calamity.
“Now, ito po ‘yung presence ng ating local chief executive, halos lahat po talagang on the ground po sila ‘no. Talagang diyan niyo po makikita na talagang gumalaw, lalo na sa mga sensitive areas (as to the presence of our local chief executives, almost all of them were on the ground. We can really see there that they are in action, especially those in sensitive areas),” Abalos said.
He said, based on their initial assessment, the towns of Abucay in Bataan; Baliwag Obando, Plarildel, Pulilan, and Sta. Maria in Bulacan; Cainta, Taytay, San Mateo, Morong, Rodriguez, and Angono in Rizal; and Tingloy in Batangas were the hardest-hit areas in terms of access to relief goods, widespread damage, and displaced residents. (with reports from Lloyd Caliwan and Priam Nepomuceno)
