Manila 2nd district Rep. Rolando Valeriano (lRep. Valeriano's office)

Manila 2nd district Rep. Rolando “Rolan” Valeriano won't let the massive flooding in Metro Manila slide as if nothing happened. 

Valeriano, chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development, said the panel will conduct a hearing soon to assess the extensive damage, especially in the National Capital Region (NCR), caused by Typhoon "Carina".

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 31 at 10 a.m. 

Needless to say, the Manila congressman expects to get answers from the concerned agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). 

“Una po sa lahat, kailangang magbigay ng paliwanag ng ating mga ahensya, gaya ng DPWH at ng MMDA, kung bakit hindi kinaya ng ating flood control systems ang buhos ng ulan ni bagyong Carina. 

(First of all, our agencies like the DPWH and MMDA must explain why our flood control systems failed to contain the rainfall brought by Typhoon Carina.) 

"Totoo po na record-breaking ang rainfall na dinulot ng bagyong ito, subalit dapat ay may kahandaan na tayo sa ganito. Expect the worst lagi, ika nga. Ang ating dapat na benchmark ay mga super typhoon na gaya ng Ondoy sa dami ng dalang ulan, at Yolanda, sa lakas ng hanging dala-dala," explained Valeriano. 

(It's true that this typhoon dumped record-breaking rainfall, but we still should've had some readiness for it. Like what they say, expect the worst. Our benchmarks should be the super typhoons like Onday in terms of volume of rain, and Yolanda when it comes to wind speed.)

The Metro Manila Development panel's jurisdiction is the crafting of policies and programs that will promote and enhance the development of the NCR. All the House representatives from Metro Manila are automatically members of the committee. 

It is expected that the committee members, whose areas were devastated by Typhoon Carina, would actively participate to seek explanations from relevant government agencies during the hearing. 

Agencies that rendered assistance to the flood victims like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will also be invited to the hearing so they may give their presentations.