MMDA to host Camanava Summit

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will host a one-day Camanava Summit this month to tackle the perennial flood, garbage, and traffic problems in the Northern Metro Manila area and find effective solutions to them.

"The summit was the request of the Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela) mayors themselves because of the pressing need to address these problems. The solutions for each (Camanava) city or town should be related to one another because the problem in one area affects the other," MMDA Deputy Chairman Cesar Lacuna told The STAR in a phone interview.

Lacuna was referring to Mayors Recom Echiverri (Caloocan), Canuto Oreta (Malabon), Toby Tiangco (Navotas), and Sherwin Gatchalian (Valenzuela).

In an earlier interview, Gatchalian said the mayors believed that the solutions to these problems should be coordinated with the MMDA.

"Mabigat talaga ang problema nila sa Camanava. The area is always underwater, the roads are small, among others," Lacuna said.

He said there should be good entry and exit points in Camanava to improve the traffic flow and the Camanava dike project is a good flood control project.

The multi-billion peso dike, Lacuna noted, could even serve a double purpose for traffic and flood control. But the construction of the dike had been slow because of a right of way problem, he said.

Lacuna said the projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Camanava would also be discussed at the summit. – Nikko Dizon