NOY BASHES GMA ADMIN ANEW; SAYS GMA PROJECT IN
LAGUNA DE BAY 'A JOKE'
MANILA, AUGUST 11, 2012 (TRIBUNE) Written
by Fernan J. Angeles and Angie M. Rosales - President Aquino, when caught in a
corner, just can't help but engage in bashing his predecessor, this time saying
a project he inherited from former President Gloria Arroyo to dredge Laguna de
Bay that would have eased the flow of water from Metro Manila was "a joke" and
explains his decision to cancel the contract.
In an ambush interview with
Palace reporters, Aquino, increasingly under fire for not doing enough to
address the yearly flood problem in most parts of the country, explained why he
had to junk the contract for the P18.7 billion Laguna de Bay dredging project
signed during the term of Arroyo because he said it wasn't just costly but
claimed it would not have made any difference in easing the perennial flooding
of the capital.
According to Aquino, the dredging project, which was
awarded to a Belgium-based engineering consultancy firm, is a big expensive
joke.
Certain quarters including senators have assailed Aquino for not
doing enough to address the massive flooding experienced in most parts of the
country during heavy rains.
Long-term solutions that could prevent
devastating impacts such as that experienced last Tuesday, should have been
considered and included by the Aquino government in mapping out the national
budget for next year, having been in the same situation some three years ago, a
senator said yesterday.
"When we deliberate on the national budget for
next year, we will scrutinize the government's disaster management plan. We
expect it —and will require it—to be anchored on risk reduction, mitigation and
adaption," said Sen. Edgardo Angara.
"If natural calamities such as this
rampaging monsoon are indeed the 'new normal', then the government ought to be
implementing strategies it has not done so before," he emphasized.
What
Aquino called a serious proposal, however, was a plan tp construct a dike along
the Meycauayan River to prevent floods in Malabon, Valenzuela, Navotas, and
Bulacan province which will cost the government P2.2 billion that would include
a pumping station which was seen to hasten efforts to dry up low-lying
areas.
"It will surround Meycauayan River and will have a pumping
station. This way, low-lying areas which are below sea level will no longer be
inundated. Again, there are no instant solutions. This is not like instant
noodles. But what I can promise you is that before I step down, you will feel
the difference with all the infrastructure and flood control projects we are
undertaking," he said.
Aquino said the dam would be designed to regulate
the volume of water rolling down the hills in the area.
There is also
another government project on the construction of Laiban Dam in Tanay, Rizal.
Laiban is expected to relieve La Mesa and Angat dams which the President claimed
already requires some infrastructure upgrades citing their long period of
service.
"So, with all due respect, that's what they wanted to do for
flood mitigation and obviously it's a joke", Aquino said referring to the Arroyo
project which he also claimed doesn't require an expert to realize how much of a
joke it is and how useless it is.
Aquino said the government would be
made to pay P 18.7 billion just for moving Laguna de Bay's silt from one portion
of the lake to another area of the freshwater basin.
He said the project
was supposed to increase the lake's water-holding capacity to ease flooding and
provide potable water to the sprawling metropolis, but that the plan was to
simply move 424 million cubic feet (12 million cubic meters) of silt from one
portion of the lake and dump it on another portion over three years.
"You
know, one of the plans that I inherited was for a body of water south of Metro
Manila called Laguna Lake. And the plan was just to dredge it, it's filled. It
fills up with something like 4,000,000 cubic meters of silt every year. So what
they wanted to do was move the mud from one section of the lake to another
section of the lake and that was supposed to enhance its water holding capacity.
Obviously, matter occupies volume and if it occupies the same space, the volume
doesn't decrease. That is gonna cost us P18.7 billion", he
explained.
Aquino in June last year cancelled the foreign-funded dredging
project on Asia's second largest freshwater basin.
In junking the
Belgian-funded lake dredging project, Aquino, who admitted that the country
badly needs an effective long-term flood control program, issued a directive to
the Department of Public Works and Highways to study other government options on
flood control.
He however said that the government may still consider the
shelved project but only after defects were addressed and at a cost which he
described as within reason.
"First, we had to rehash, well, redo the
plans and make them real plans that will address all of these situations
throughout the country", Aquino said.
Aside from the Laguna de Bay
dredging project, Aquino has been reviewing infrastructure contracts signed
under Arroyo on insinuations of irregularities.
He said the dredging
project in particular "is one of the most notorious practices for those who do
corrupt practices ... so I have a tendency to be allergic to such
projects."
Aquino claimed his administration managed to demonstrate that
ots disaster mitigation efforts are working even as he bragged on prompt rescue
services which kept the number of casualties far below the figures posted as
casualties of Ondoy.
"We have enhanced effects of the monsoon. I'm told
that the volume of water that has dropped is even greater than that was
experienced in 'Ondoy'. But I think we have managed to demonstrate that the
government's disaster mitigation efforts are working. But, more importantly, the
rescue services were on the ball and we didn't have the same tragedy that we had
during the (past storms)", said the President who from time to time makes sure
that he delivers jabs at the previous administration.
In defending his
decision to freeze Arroyo's infrastructure programs waiting for implementation,
Aquino reiterated the need to review projects which would entail tax-payers'
money.
"You know, you have so many water systems. For instance, what I
inherited were 30 or so government agencies that dealt with water and they were
working at cross purposes. So about the middle of last year it was when we
tasked the Secretary of Public Works and Highways to become the temporary water
czar to get everybody in sync. But, on top of that, one of his major concerns is
flood mitigation. But that is, of course, on top of all the other infrastructure
things that we're doing. So they had to go through all of the plans and
determine", Aquino added.
The record P2.7 trillion national budget
Malacañang proposed for 2013 is said to have the highest allocation for social
services.
Among the big items in the budget is the conditional cash transfer
(CCT), the Aquino administration's flagship poverty alleviation program and this
early, the chairman of the Senate committee on finance Sen. Franklin Drilon
already anticipating that such provision in the proposed general appropriations
measure will likely get the attention of the legislators because of its huge
allocation.
Drilon said that the proposed budget of the Department of
Social Welfare and Development to implement the CCT in 2013 is P44.26 billion,
an increase of 12.2 percent from its 2012 allocation of P39.45
billion.
On top of the list of the called 2013 national budget would be
the Department of Education (DepEd) with P292.7 billion allocations - the
highest in the entire bureaucracy - which includes the budget for school
building.
The DoH will have a budget of P56.8 billion and the DSWD with
P56.2 billion.
Sen. Loren Legarda echoed the position of Angara insofar
as underscoring the need for a comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation plan
that will reduce people's vulnerability and increase the resilience of all
sectors to floods.
"Soon the heavy rains will cease and the floods will
subside. The victims will have to rebuild their lives from the tragedy and
devastation. This flood is worse than Ondoy. I hope serious government and
private sector efforts to build back better the affected communities would start
immediately. We must learn the lessons of Ondoy which this recent widespread
flooding brings to fore once again," she said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Francis
"Chiz" Escudero called on the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources
and the Interior and Local Government to work more closely together in ensuring
that the country's environmental laws are strictly enforced to address
environmental disasters.
"We have the necessary laws. But judging by the
effects of the torrential rains that hit us, our implementors and enforcers may
have been remiss in applying these laws," Escudero said in the wake of the
massive flooding that hit Metro Manila and other parts of the country. "It
cannot be business as usual anymore," he added.
Escudero, chairman of the
Senate committee on environment and natural resources, said Republic Act 9003 or
the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 was supposed to prevent or
mitigate the ill effects of floods caused by solid
wastes.
"Unfortunately, it has become apparent that solid wastes have
found their way into our waterways and drainage systems. The amount of garbage
washed ashore in Manila Bay is proof that the law has not been implemented
properly," the senator said.
He said there should be closer cooperation
between DENR and DILG in working with local government units to ensure that the
country's environmental laws are complied with.
Initial reports said 11
people died while about one million were affected by floods that were wrought by
heavy monsoon rains.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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