Hagonoy residents recovering from floods

HAGONOY, Bulacan ,Philippines  – A week into the worst flood to hit this coastal town since 1978, residents are trying to get back on their feet.

Residents woke up yesterday with renewed hope as floodwaters receded by over 12 inches despite heavy rains brought by typhoon “Quiel” on Saturday.

On Sunday, some residents went to the national shrine of St. Anne Church at the town proper here, but no Mass was held as the church’s sanctuary remained under water.

Part of the church was used as an evacuation center.

On Sunday morning, residents rushed to buy food but only a few shops opened.

However, a majority of residents milled in front of Maria’s mini-mart, which ran its generator sets and allowed people to recharge their cell phones.

The mini-mart’s generator ran out of diesel yesterday.

“Boy Yamat should be given an award. It was a big help that people were able to recharge their cell phones,” said Max del Rosario, referring to the owner of Maria’s mini mart.

Meanwhile, the Hagonoy Water District was able to pump drinking water to their pipelines on Saturday afternoon as diesel supply arrived.

Different groups came to extend assistance, but coordination was chaotic due to lack of a command center.

In nearby Calumpit, authorities delivered relief goods, medicine and dry clothes to thousands of people who were marooned in flooded homes.

Residents waded through waist-deep floods to reach the makeshift command post where food was distributed in sacks and a water filtration system was set up.

“We need clean drinking water and perhaps purification tablets,” said Cloie Cruz, 26, who left her parents and three siblings at dawn to fetch supplies.

Rescuers were also finally able to reach areas previously cut off by raging currents, allowing them to bring medicine or to ferry those needing medical attention to evacuation centers or clinics.

As floodwaters subsided, many residents staying on rooftops for days refused to leave their homes for fear of burglars and asked that food and supplies be delivered to them. Others who took advantage of rescue boats lined up in long queues with containers to get drinking water.

“For now we need rescue teams with rubber boats. We need to distribute food and water to the families stranded by the floods. I cannot reach all of them personally,” Calumpit Mayor James de Jesus said.

He also appealed for additional police to guard against looters, with some people complaining about stolen property.

He said there would likely be no more need to forcibly evacuate those in their homes as the water receded.

“The most important thing now is to reach those who still need help,” he told reporters.

Environment group hits landfill  in Bulacan

Meanwhile, an environmental watchdog is asking the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to revoke the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) issued to a so-called “sanitary landfill” project in Obando, Bulacan following the massive flood that submerged the coastal fishing town.

The EcoWaste Coalition urged Environment Secretary Ramon Paje to cancel the ECC issued by DENR-Region III to a landfill project by EcoShield Development Corp. after typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” inundated low-lying towns in the province of Bulacan, including Obando.

The group said that according to the ECC, EcoShield is headed by businessman and former ambassador Antonio Cabangon Chua.

“The unprecedented flood that engulfed Obando is an explicit proof of how environmentally critical the entire town is and how wrong it is to construct a landfill in such a location that is obviously at risk,” said Roy Alvarez, president of EcoWaste.

“We hope that Secretary Paje will finally get this message from the onslaught of typhoons Pedring and Quiel in Bulacan: Obando is a flood-prone municipality and allowing a landfill to rise in the area would be a big mistake,” he said.

Groups opposed to the project say that the proposed landfill is in itself a fishpond at the intersection of the Obando-Muzon rivers and Manila Bay, an area that has provided fishermen from Obando, the neighboring cities of Malabon and Navotas and the province of Cavite with plentiful aquatic resources.

Last Sept. 18, Bishop Jose Oliveros of Malolos reiterated Church opposition to the landfill in a homily. “The environment is a gift from God. We should be responsible in caring for it. We should not destroy it. Instead of polluting, we should love the land and care for it because life comes from the environment,” the bishop said.

Various protesters, including citizens’ groups, religious associations, an environmental health coalition and a fisherfolk alliance, had earlier asked Paje to halt the construction of the 44-hectare landfill in Barangay Salambao in Obando, citing the proximity of the waste disposal facility to Obando River and Manila Bay.

The groups alleged that the project goes against the basic provisions of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

They said the project will aggravate Obando’s decades-long struggle against floods. The landfill will worsen this problem by further narrowing the waterway from upstream starting in the Rizal uplands, down to San Jose del Monte, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Sta. Maria, Marilao and Meycauayan until it reaches Obando, before emptying into Manila Bay, with the water carrying tons of garbage from all sources along the way. – With Rhodina Villanueva, AP