Is it time for an Anti-Flooding Task Force?

It didn’t take a typhoon to flood the Philippines last weekend.  As the southwest monsoon or “habagat” winds brought heavy rains, along with it came immediate and massive flooding all over Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon. But apart from the obvious—that too much rain can cause water inundation—the disproportionate severity of the floods compared to the amount of rain pointed to a fundamental problem in the country. Poor infrastructure and the lack of an effective strategy make the Philippines much more susceptible to flooding.

Last Monday (August 15), classes were suspended in several parts of Luzon.  Even the Supreme Court Chief Justice authorized Executive Judges of Trial Courts to suspend work at their discretion. What made these suspensions unusual is that they were not triggered by a strong typhoon.

Class suspensions follow guidelines issued by the Department of Education (DO 43, s.2012) which are usually triggered by typhoons. For instance, kindergarten classes are cancelled or suspended when Signal No. 1 is raised by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Classes in all levels are cancelled or suspended when PAGASA raises Signal No. 3.

As a law school professor, I have always been inclined to oppose class suspensions without at least a typhoon Signal No. 2 raised by PAGASA. But my recent experience with severe flooding makes me appreciate any decision to err on the safe side.

I had to teach class this weekend as part of my law professor duties at San Beda’s Graduate Law School in Mendiola. Amidst the heavy downpour, our hardworking Dean Fr. Rannie Aquino decided not to call off classes. 

I love driving in general, but I consider driving on weekends as a relaxing treat.  Last Saturday was an exception—the drive was stressful and challenging. As soon as I exited the San Beda Mendiola campus, I was greeted by floods in several parts of my route. I used Waze app to avoid traffic, but it was not effective to help me avoid floods. I didn’t worry so much when I drove through areas with knee-deep floods, but as I turned a street along Boni Avenue, I suddenly found myself driving through waist-deep water.  Other cars around me stalled, completely stopped, or turned around to find higher elevations. At one point, the water was so high that I temporarily sought refuge by parking in an elevated space in front of a store. The car parked next to me had been there for quite a while and he said he was going to “wait it out” until the water subsided. Not knowing how long we had to wait, I eventually left and braved the floods. As for that driver seeking refuge, who knows how much longer he had to stay there? 

Thanks to my 4-wheel drive SUV and a LOT of prayers, I arrived home safely after over an hour drive through the flood-ridden streets of Metro Manila. I thanked my husband for insisting that I bring our new SUV to school that morning (although his intention was for me to test drive our new vehicle). The good news was—we were reassured that our SUV was flood-capable. The bad news, our SUV’s “New Car Smell” lasted only for two days. 

This made me realize that, regardless of the wide variety of vehicle choices available in the Philippines, Filipinos (or at least practical vehicle-owners) will tend to choose SUVs over sedans. But more than its impact on business, the economy, or car choices, the country’s perennial and worsening flooding problem poses a threat to the property and lives of Filipinos. While I feared for my own safety, I was torn between navigating my car through the floods and pulling my windows down to lecture kids about toxicity and the health hazards caused by their swimming in those visibly dirty waters.

Flooding is not a new phenomenon in the Philippines, but it has been getting worse each year with no indication that such problem will be addressed soon.

Currently, the agency in the best position to solve flooding issues is the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). As the primary engineering and construction arm of the government, the DPWH is responsible for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of infrastructures such as roads and bridges, and flood control systems. It seems, however, that having the DPWH is not enough.

In 1972, Republic Act No. 6613 created the “Typhoon Moderation Research and Development Council” (TMRDC) under the Office of the President composed of the Executive Secretary, the Secretary of National Defense as Vice-Chairman, the Secretary of Public Works and Communications, among others. The Council was tasked to develop and formulate a typhoon moderation and flood control research and development program. 

By 1975, the TMRDC or Typhoon Council was merged with PAGASA. 50 years after the merger, it’s evident that the institutions in place have not been sufficient to solve or improve the country’s flooding problems.

This leads to the question of whether a task force that will specialize in solving and preventing flood problems is necessary. Such task force may include members from PAGASA, DPWH, and other relevant agencies, and can be entirely responsible and accountable for all aspects that affect flooding. 

It might be a stretch to say that the country’s flooding problem deprives Filipinos of their basic human rights to life, liberty and property, which are all guaranteed by the Constitution. But the analogy seems fair when we see the deprivation of rights on different levels—Filipinos dying due to floods (deprivation of life); being stranded on the streets, or restricted from going to school or work (deprivation of liberty); or being evacuated from their homes, or having their homes or cars destroyed (deprivation of property). With its far-reaching and serious consequences, the flooding problem deserves immediate attention and creative solutions—perhaps an Anti-Flooding Task Force can be one of them.

The roads were no longer visible, but the author survived driving her 4WD SUV through waist-deep floods in Boni Avenue Rotunda.

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Atty. Karen Jimeno is a lawyer licensed to practice in the Philippines and New York.  She co-anchors for New Day on CNN Philippines Mondays to Fridays, 6-7:30AM.  She is also an avid motorist who incorporates different cars and her driving experiences with her professional life.