Sen. Loren Legarda called for stronger flood prevention measures 17 years after Tropical Storm Ondoy, saying more communities are now experiencing floods even after short periods of heavy rain.
‘Seventeen years have passed since Ondoy, but instead of seeing the problem ease, there are places that did not experience flooding before but now get flooded after just a short period of heavy rain,’ Legarda said in Filipino.
‘Repeated disruptions like this should not become a normal part of Filipino life,’ she added.
Ondoy affected nearly 4.9 million people and left 464 dead, according to the government-led Post-Disaster Needs Assessment.
Legarda said Ondoy’s anniversary should prompt a review of whether flood-control investments, policies and programs since 2009 have actually reduced risks to communities.
‘If there are communities that are flooding more frequently now than before, we need to find out why,’ she said.
Legarda said authorities should examine drainage systems and ensure that rivers, creeks, esteros and other waterways remain clear and unobstructed.
She also said flood prevention should not rely on concrete infrastructure alone, stressing the need to protect and rehabilitate watersheds, wetlands, mangroves, forests and other ecosystems that absorb and retain water.
‘We need to work with nature, not continuously build over it,’ she said.
Legarda also cited poor waste management as a factor in flooding, saying garbage that accumulates in canals and waterways obstructs water flow.
She pointed to Republic Act No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which she authored and sponsored, and called for its consistent implementation by households, barangays and local governments.
‘We cannot talk about flood control without talking about garbage,’ she said.
Legarda also cited Republic Act No. 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, which institutionalized risk assessment, early warning systems and risk-sensitive land-use planning.
‘Evacuation, relief and cleanup after floods should not be the measure of our preparedness,’ she said.
‘The real test is whether fewer families have to evacuate in the first place, fewer workers lose a day’s income, fewer businesses are forced to close and fewer children miss school because their communities are safer.’
Legarda is also pushing Senate Bill No. 310, or the proposed National Water Resources Management Act, and Senate Bill No. 306, or the proposed Philippine Circular Economy Promotion Act.
She has also filed Senate Bill No. 520, or the proposed Calamity Work Compensation Act, which seeks additional compensation and safer arrangements for covered private-sector workers required to report onsite during severe typhoons and calamities.
‘Flooding is not simply an inconvenience,’ Legarda said, noting its effects on livelihoods, businesses, education and household expenses.
‘Seventeen years after Ondoy, we should be seeing fewer communities flooded, not more,’ she said.