Vice President orders clearing of Napindan Channel

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Chairman Noli De Castro ordered yesterday the immediate clearing of the Napindan Channel to allow the smooth flow of water caused by heavy rains and prevent floods.

The instruction was made by De Castro during his visit to Napindan and Lupang Arenda in Taytay, Rizal. He noted that there are still debris and structures in the middle of the waterway.

“The President has issued specific instructions to clear the area of obstructions when she visited last month. And to date, no action has been taken? What is causing the delay?” De Castro asked. Apparently, it was not clear as to which entity should take the lead in the clearing.

It was revealed in the process that those assigned to demolish the structures are allegedly getting threats from military personnel who are said to own some of the structures in the middle of the waterway.

This prompted De Castro to instruct Major Idul, head of the military detachment stationed in Napindan and Lupang Arenda, to ensure that those structures are demolished within two weeks.

“We cannot allow certain elements to delay our work. We are after a bigger good here. We have all the basis and justification to proceed with the clearing. If I did not drop by, the instruction of the President would have remained unimplemented,” De Castro said.

The Metro Manila Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways have committed to complete the clearing and demolition of illegal structures within the channel before the end of the month. De Castro also noticed the existence of several mounds of land on the Taguig side of the channel, obviously the result of accretion. He was informed that some of these areas are allegedly titled to certain individuals and are intermittently used to grow ‘kangkong’ in commercial quantity.

“These mounds have to be leveled. They could constrict the flow of water. We need to scour and dredge the waterway of these obstructions,” De Castro said.

In response, Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga committed to take the lead in clearing and leveling the “kangkungan” mounds including the structures constructed in the area.

The clearing of the waterway by various entities will be synchronized within a three week timeframe.

“I will regularly inspect and monitor the progress of your work on this site. I have noted down your commitments,” he said. Napindan Channel connects Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay.

The presence of obstructions block the flow of water from Laguna de Bay to the Napindan Channel in Taytay and Taguig causing floodwaters to remain high.