A viral post claiming that ‘floodwater’ was being scooped up and returned to the same area, or ‘recycled,’ as part of flood control efforts in Marikina City is false. In an August 30 post, Facebook user MP MIKO POGAY questioned why the loader was returning the ‘floodwater’ it had collected to the area, calling what he claimed was a ‘flood control’ effort a ‘water transfer challenge.’
The post’s caption said, in part:
From baha, back to baha. Zero waste! RECYCLE YARN?! ??????????
Expelled lawmaker Kiko Barzaga also posted the video on his page, sarcastically praising Marikina’s flood control.
‘Lipat na ako diyan sa 2028,’ he joked.
Rating: This is false.
Facts
The Facebook posts incorrectly characterized the loader returning water to what appears to be a flooded area as a flood control effort amid continuous rains and heavy flooding from recent storms and the southwest monsoon or habagat.
Both posts included less than 15 seconds of the three-minute video, leaving out the portion that provides context on what the payloader was being used for.
In the full video posted by Facebook page Marikina River Water Level, the person recording said the payloader was being used to clean and remove mud.
‘Habang inaayos pa ang motor, ito muna ang ginagamit para panglinis at matanggal ang putik,’ the person said. Earlier in the video, the person said the motor was being used for flushing operations.
The Marikina River reached the second alarm at 9 a.m. on August 30, when the video was taken, according to the caption of the Marikina River Water Level post and an update from the Marikina Public Information Office (PIO).
The city’s local government unit deployed skid loaders, heavy equipment, and clearing personnel to remove garbage, mud, and debris left behind by the floods in Malanday, Tumana, and Nangka, according to the Marikina PIO on August 30.