President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for proper waste disposal following the widespread flooding due to heavy rains caused by Typhoon “Carina” and the southwest monsoon.
In a media interview, Marcos Jr. said wastes must be disposed of properly to prevent blockages from causing flooding.
Several parts of Metro Manila submerged in floodwater on Wednesday due to continuous heavy rainfall brought by Carina.
“Nagkaproblema lang. Sana matuto naman ang tao. Huwag kayong nagtatapon ng basura dahil ‘yung basura, ‘yun ang nagbara doon sa mga pump natin kaya hindi kasing effective na puwede,” he said after his ocular inspection of affected areas in Metro Manila.
The President learned during his ocular inspection on Thursday that there are several pumping stations in the National Capital Region. Navotas has 81 pumping stations while Valenzuela has 32.
“So, marami na ‘yung pumping station. Pero talaga you have to put it (trash) somewhere. Twelve o’clock noon (Wednesday) nag-high tide. Nagsabay-sabay. Malakas ang ulan tapos nag-high tide. So, at least now, I’m very clear of what the situation is. That due to this (indiscrimate garbage disposal), flooding occurred,” according to him.
“I’ll be going to inspect all the other areas when we can travel to see what else is needed in the other parts of the country that suffered flooding.”
Marcos Jr. said the government needs to review the designs of some of the country’s flood control programs.
“The amount of water was not as bad as (tropical storm) Ondoy. But the effects [of Typhoon Carina] were greater than Ondoy. Mas malaki ang baha. Mas maraming nabaha na lugar kaysa panahon ng Ondoy,” he said referring to the tropical cyclone that inundated Metro Manila in 2009.
Aside from poor trash disposal, the Chief Executive also attributed the flooding to climate change, a long-lasting change in temperatures and weather patterns.
“Mas marami tayong flood control ngayon kaysa noon pero (dahil sa) climate change. This is what the effects of climate change are,” he added.IMT
