Antipolo and other parts of Rizal province getting flooded despite typhoon Enteng dropping lesser rains compared to typhoon Carina left President Marcos wondering what went wrong.
In a situation briefing in Antipolo City on Friday, Sept. 6, one of Marcos' first questions to officials was: why is it flooding now?
"Kasi nagka-bagyo naman tayo before. Hindi nga --- as you say, hindi naman na-flood yung hospital. Bakit sa palagay --- we have to find out (Because we were hit by typhoon before but the hospital was not inundated before. Why do you think so...we have to find out)," Marcos said, referring to the flooded provincial hospital in Morong, Rizal.
Officials pointed out that the volume of rainwater was among the main culprits, including waste management; while quarrying was only a portion of the contributors.
Marcos, however, also cited overpopulation and the changes in the path of floodwater.
According to Rizal Governor Nina Ynares, Antipolo and other parts of Rizal, including Jalajala and Teresa, which were usually not flooded were inundated this time.
"Why do you think that is?" Marcos asked.
"I'm just thinking that the volume of water really that poured..." Ynares responded. "Well, it’s a lot of factors. Maybe also the environmental factors, the disposal of waste, a lot of aggravating factors that domino effect."
The governor noted that " we got one month's worth of rain" in just four days.
Meanwhile, Antipolo Mayor Casimiro Ynares III reiterated the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' statement that quarrying was not the one to blame over the flooding that the province experienced.
"We know that it is a confluence of a lot of factors that contribute to flooding," he said.
Around 8,036 families or 31,677 persons were affected by Enteng in Rizal province. The storm also damaged the Rizal Provincial Hospital system, pegged at P533,700.
Study the use of weirs to control floodwater
During the briefing, Marcos also pitched the use of weirs in controlling the level of floodwater, citing its effectiveness in other countries.
"Why do we not use weirs? Weir is not a dam. It is where the water runs but you can control the level of the water by the weir. It’s just that I see them in other places and it’s really effective," Marcos said.
He asked the government agencies to look into it and determine whether or not it is applicable to incorporate it into the country's flood-control projects.
"Pag-aralan nga natin kung sino pa ang pinakamagaling na gumamit ng weir (Let us check who's the best in using weir). Mga European, for the last millennium, they’ve been using weirs already. Maybe the Dutch will know kasi sila ang pinakamagaling sa (because they are the best in) water management," Marcos said.
"I’ve seen it in every country in Europe. I’ve seen it in Germany. I’ve seen it in England. I’ve seen it in France. I’ve seen it everywhere and it seems to calm the waters down," he added. "Let’s really look into that properly, the technology, how to use it because I know it’s effective. "