P10 billion worth of Marikina property lost to 'Ondoy'

MANILA, Philippines - An estimated P10 billion worth of property was lost when typhoon “Ondoy” ravaged Marikina City on Sept. 26, city Mayor Maria Lourdes Fernando said yesterday.

Fernando said initial estimates showed that the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center lost P500 million in equipments, the various schools, P100 million and the City Hall also in millions of pesos of equipment. “In the City Hall alone, our computers and other facilities are badly damaged. We are still waiting for the damage report on the private sector but our estimate showed losses in P10 billion,” said the mayor.

The city government is presently in the thick of its clearing operations, rehabilitation and repair efforts as Fernando appealed to Marikeños to do their share “so our city known for its cleanliness would be back to its former self as soon as possible.”

“We should not rely too much on the government but do our share as we are doing our best to restore normalcy in the city the soonest possible time,” Fernando said during a brief press conference at the Shoe Hall of the City Hall compound. “We ask for the cooperation of every citizen for us to be able to clean up the city.”

Fernando appealed to residents to remove stalled vehicles in the middle of the streets for government workers to move freely from one place to another to remove debris like piles of garbage. According to Fernando, there’s nobody to blame for the tragedy which is unprecedented in the city’s history.

No need for finger-pointing

“There’s no need for finger-pointing as the calamity like this, landslides and earthquakes cannot be predicted,” she said, noting that the loss of lives could be larger had her husband and Chairman Bayani Fernando, of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, did not relocate some 10,000 residents in riverbanks during his term as the city mayor. She recalled that the city government’s rescue teams using rubber boats and bancas were actively rescuing residents at the height of typhoon Ondoy.

However, the rescue teams have their hands full as more than 2,000 residents were already in their rooftop, pleading that they be rescued first.

She explained that the city’s drainage system was working at the height of the typhoon. But the water level at the Marikina River rose to 23 meters or equivalent to an eight-story building high so the low-lying areas were submerged by floodwaters. The normal water level at the Marikina River was pegged at 14 meters.

“The water from the mountains and the river came together and our drainage system could not accommodate them anymore, so the floodings,” she said.

Classes resume

Classes resumed in schools in Marikina City Monday, except in several areas which continue hosting evacuees. Fernando said the school principals have different timetables for the return of normalcy in their respective schools.

She called on residents to bring out their garbage for collection by dumptrucks but she appealed to them not to place them in the middle of the streets so as not to obstruct ongoing clean up and rehabilitation efforts.

A total of 67 people were killed on the onslaught of Ondoy with 33 of them residents of Marikina City.