Navotas City lone district Rep. Toby Tiangco (Facebook)

Navotas City lone district Rep. Toby Tiangco is demanding legal action against the company that caused damage to the Tangos-Tanza Navigational Gate. 

In a statement Wednesday, July 24, Tiangco cited the "urgent need for accountability" even as Typhoon "Carina" left many areas in Metro Manila flooded. 

The Navotas floodgate was damaged after a vessel, towed by tugboats, collided with it. This resulted in subsequent flooding in the city located north of the metropolis. 

Tiangco said that if the flood gate were operational, the city government’s 81 pumping stations would have been able to control flooding. 

“In fact, during Ondoy, flooding was controlled even if we only had 24 bombastik stations at that time,” he said, referring to a previous episode of heavy downpour in 2009. 

The solon said he is closely coordinating with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the agency with jurisdiction over filing a case against the responsible company. He is determined to ensure that the owners of the boat and tugboats at fault are held accountable. 

“Napalaking perwisyo ang idinulot ng pagkasira ng floodgate dahil ito ang humaharang sa pagpasok ng tubig kapag high tide. Hindi sana nahihirapan ang mga Navoteño ngayon kung hindi nasira ang floodgate," said Tiangco, chairman of the House Committee on Communications and Information Technology. 

(The damage caused to the floodgate was disastrous since it's the structure that holds off the water during high tide. Navoteños wouldn't be suffering right now had not it been damaged.) 

“We’re studying the legal options available to make those responsible for the damage of the navigational gate accountable," he said. 

The former city mayor wasn't convinced that what happened to the floodgate was a mere accident. 

“'Yong pagpilit na hilahin ang barko ng tugboats pagkatapos mabangga ang floodgate, kahit pinipigilan na sila ng mga personnel ng floodgate, hindi aksidente 'yon,” he said. 

(The way that the vessel was forcibly pulled by the tugboats after it had hit the floodgate, even if the floodgate personnel were trying to stop them, tells me that it was no accident.) 

Meanwhile, Tiangco said the local government of Navotas continues to assist in evacuating residents from critical areas to the designated evacuation centers in each barangay.