QUEZON CITY First District Representative Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde urged the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to sustain its productive step to prevent another flooding catastrophe in Greater Manila.
Atayde expressed his gratitude to the MMDA for its response by planning to upgrade and add more pumping stations in Metro Manila, particularly in the Tatalon area on Araneta Avenue in Quezon City.
“Let’s not wait for another Ondoy flooding tragedy to happen again in Metro Manila,” Atayde said, referring to the September 2009 flood disaster caused by typhoon Ondoy and nonstop heavy rains that affected 872,097 people on top of 241 fatalities in the National Capital Region (NCR).
After expressing his concern regarding the implementation and improvement of flood control measures before the onset of the rainy season, the MMDA immediately buckled down to work last Wednesday responding to Rep. Atayde’s privilege speech last November in Congress.
“That area is very vulnerable to flooding, and in some cases, it only takes a few hours of intense rains to make it impassable to vehicles,” Atayde stressed, referring to the Tatalon area in Araneta Avenue in Quezon City.
Atayde praised the MMDA for providing a productive step and immediate response to address the heavy flooding in Metro Manila.
He also pointed out that the MMDA “should continue working on identifying more flooded areas so that they can put in place flood mitigation measures before the wet season starts and typhoons bring about extraordinary rainfall.”
Also in his privilege speech last November in Congress, Atayde urged the government to designate a “flooding czar” and to fast-track flood control projects in order to address paralyzing floods in the National Capital Region, particularly in Quezon City.
The freshman lawmaker said he was prompted to deliver a privilege speech on flooding in response to concerns raised by constituents and barangay officials in several areas, as well as in other parts of his district.
Atayde proposed the DPWH allocate P40 million to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing retarding ponds in malls, basketball courts, playgrounds, parks, and other open spaces, as well as box culverts under Metro Manila roads; relocating informal settlers where retarding ponds will be constructed; constructing high rise walls and pumping stations at the San Juan River; and assessing the master plan for flood control of Metro Manila and surrounding areas.
