Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba partly blamed “flawed” development planning for the massive flooding in Tuguegarao City during Typhoon Ulysses onslaught.
“Ito po siguro was the wrong developmental plan din po ng Tuguegarao City. Unang una po ‘yung mga waterways kasi, gumawa sila ng bahay-bahay noon pati ‘yung mga low-cost housing nilagay nila doon. So hindi na po lumalabas ‘yung tubig,” Mamba said at a Laging Handa briefing on Thursday.
“At wala namang maiging drainage system sila. So this has become a problem, ‘yung mga na-trap na [tubig], parang water impounding na po,” the governor added, as he described flooding in Tuguegarao city as a “perennial” problem.
“Ito po ‘yung mga wrong na nangyari sa past administrations, na pati waterways ginawa nilang mga human settlement.”
A masterplan is needed to address the flooding problems in the city, Mamba said.
Likewise, Mamba said evacuation centers should be built in flood-free areas in the province.
“Kailangan din talaga ng long-term and medium-term plan on the construction of evacuation centers na nasa tamang lugar. Kasi some of our evacuation centers hindi na po nagamit noong lumaki nang lumaki ang tubig.”
Officials explain massive flooding in Cagayan
Last month, Mamba said the water from Magat Dam and other provinces caused the massive flooding.
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has been releasing water from Magat Dam since Nov. 9, even before the landfall of Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco). The dam opened seven gates at one point on November 12 and released water volume equivalent to 106.223 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or around two swimming pools per second.
NIA Administrator Ricardo Visaya said the dam would break and cause a bigger tragedy if waters were not released.
Meanwhile, Mark Timbal, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) spokesperson, claimed that the Cagayan Valley’s widespread flooding was due to the Cagayan River’s swelling, not because of Magat Dam’s water.
“These flooding incidents are the cumulative effects of the continuous rains experienced in Luzon,” Timbal told the Inquirer.
He explained that there has been “more than a month’s worth of rainy days,” in addition to at least five tropical cyclones that hit Luzon in the past two months.