The City Government of Manila’s efforts under Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso’s administration paid off, as a mandated weekly de-clogging drive, an uninterrupted waste collection system, and a swift evacuation response helped the city mitigate the impact of nearly a week of relentless monsoon rain as efficiently as possible.
In a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pedro Gil Residences hemodialysis center, the mayor said the city’s weekly clean-up drive under Executive Order No. 3 has helped ease flooding in Manila over the past several rainy seasons.
“You know, I, your mayor, on behalf of the people of Manila, to our barangay officials, thank you very much for heading and implementing Executive Order No. 3 that I signed last July to clean up our streets, markets, o maglinis tuwing Sabado,” Domagoso stressed.
“Kung mapapansin ninyo, boring tuwing Sabado na lang linis, kalkal, sipsip, sako, tapon.”
“Kung mapapansin ninyo, boring tuwing Sabado na lang linis, kalkal, sipsip, sako, tapon. But as you know, for the past so many rainy seasons, nagdulot ito kahit papaano ng ginhawa sa lungsod ng Maynila,” he added.
Under the order, all Punong Barangays and their councils are directed to participate and lead by example, while the Department of Environment and Public Services (DEPS) and the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) are tasked to actively engage in the weekly de-clogging operations across all 896 barangays.
That groundwork was put to the test recently: Manila’s evacuation centers, which had taken in 855 evacuees from 243 families at the height of the flooding, stood empty again within days, with the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) reporting zero remaining evacuees by Tuesday morning, August 11.
The city’s waste collection system also continued operating without interruption throughout the monsoon, with solid waste management, the Manila Transfer Station, and the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill all remaining on normal operations even as the rains persisted.
Meralco likewise reported no major circuit outages in the city during the monsoon, aside from isolated household cases caused by debris on power lines, sparing residents the added burden of prolonged power interruptions on top of the flooding.
Domagoso acknowledged the strain the week’s weather placed on city personnel, saying frontline workers, from traffic enforcers to engineering and electricity crews, worked through the rain to keep the city running.
“Makikita niyo naman, parang frogman ‘yung ating mga traffic enforcer, parang frogman ‘yung ating mga taga-DPS, parang frogman ‘yung ating mga taga-engineering, ‘yung taga-City Electricity,” he said.
“The city had prepared 165,000 doxycycline capsules to protect residents exposed to floodwaters from leptospirosis.”
Domagoso also said the city had prepared 165,000 doxycycline capsules to protect residents exposed to floodwaters from leptospirosis, part of what he described as lessons learned from past rainy seasons.
