Quezon City Rep. Winnie Castelo wants answers from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as to why Metro Manila was left flooded last Saturday and Sunday by the monsoon rains.
Castelo, Chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development said Metro Manila and its suburbs should have not been flooded as the P25 billion Metro Manila Flood Control Management Project (MMFCMP) was expected to be already operational at the start of the year.
“Where is the anti-flood project?” Castelo asked, adding that he will demand an update on the crucial project from the MMDA and the DPWH.
Castelo said he will demand an answer from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the MMDA.
“I am now wondering what is taking the DPWH and the MMDA too long to even bid out the project which is an obvious priority. Is it incompetence or pure insensitivity?” Castelo added.
“Where is the anti-flood project?”
In January, Castelo urged the DPWH to put priority on the project in order for it to be completed and operational before the onset of the rainy season.
“Several monsoon rains after which had placed Metro Manila residents in danger and the economy in a temporary standstill, there is no progress in this crucial project,” Castelo said.
The project had received funding from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the World Bank (WB), Castelo said.
Meanwhile, Castelo said there might be a need for President Rodrigo Duterte to be given emergency powers by Congress just to solve the problem of flooding in Metro Manila.
“Several monsoon rains after, which had placed Metro Manila residents in danger and the economy in a temporary standstill, there is no progress in this crucial project.”
“President Duterte has made it clear that he will not allow ordinary Filipinos to suffer from delayed projects and slow actions from government,” Castelo said.
