Why Metro Manila floods recede so slowly?

The devastation wrought by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” has triggered an outpouring of sympathy for the people in Metro Manila, especially in places like Cainta, Tanay or Marikina from all over the nation, where Filipinos have donated to the relief effort in cash or in kind in the hope that it would help alleviate the suffering of those stricken by the floodwaters. Just listening to the radio reports of the coming donations, made me feel proud of being a Filipino… that despite our poverty, we can still help others in whatever little way we can. That’s were our true Christian spirit lies.

Now we’re also getting international support from the nations that responded to our pleas for help. As usual, the US Navy has also done their share in helping our beleaguered folk. However it is a sad day for the US Armed Forces that are visiting here because at the height of our relief efforts, an explosion in Barangay Kagay, Indanan, Sulu killed two American soldiers and a Filipino marine. One would think that Muslim extremists would show some kind of respect now that national attention is focused on the relief efforts at the National Capital Region. How shameful.

We’ve heard all over national radio that there are still those who have been left unattended and naturally, government is always blamed for this. But in a disaster of this magnitude, even the government doesn’t have enough warm bodies to help in the relief effort.

As I said, people really just want to find fault and pin the blame of their misery on the government, a very convenient scapegoat. But should we simply blame the government or should we blame the people? On the forehead of the Cebu Provincial Capitol is emblazoned, “The authority of the government emanates from the people.” So blame goes to the Filipino people for electing an inept government.

I was in Manila last Monday for a meeting and as the PAL Airbus was going on its final approach, we passed by Cainta and Marikina and from my plane window I could see that the floods haven’t yet receded. From the air, I could also see that the Laguna de Bay isn’t really so far from Marikina. Surely you must have heard that report just a few short months ago that the Laguna Lake was virtually shrinking? Thanks to reckless land developers who have been reclaiming (of course with the “approval” of the Laguna Lake Development Authority) land along the lakeshore. This fact is a contributory reason why Metro Manila was flooded! Water after all seeks its own level. Give back Lake Laguna’s old boundaries and the floods will recede.

Another factor to consider is that we Filipinos are just too engrossed with frivolous matters like watching those telenovelas or even those Senate investigations allegedly “in aid-of-legislation” but no one gave a thought that just a month ago, Taiwan was battered by Typhoon “Morakot”, a typhoon that dropped a year’s worth of rain in just three days! In comparison, “Ondoy” dumped only a month’s rain in just six hours.

I remember the CNN coverage of this typhoon because they quite timely showed a six-story hotel in Chilpen, Taitung County plunging into the river as its foundation was eroded by the raging waters. The video of a six-story tall building collapsing into the river was imprinted in my mind! Now compared to the Philippines, the Taiwanese government has a lot of money; but even they failed to predict the magnitude of the torrential rains Typhoon “Morakot” dropped into this island nation.

That storm displaced a million people and killed hundreds in a landslide that struck the town of Siaolin and it has caused a political storm because of the ineptitude of the government as the victims of this disaster accused the government of not being prepared for that disaster.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has apologized for the sluggish response to that disaster and if you grabbed a copy of Time Magazine’s Aug. 31st issue you will read that the enraged Taiwanese people from Cishan bore placards with a slogan, “We’d rather have a corrupt President than an inept one!” They were of course referring to former Taiwan Pres. Chen Shui-bian who has been jailed due to corruption charges . . . whom the people felt was better in handling the affairs of the government than the present one.

Should we take the cue from the Taiwanese people as to who we should be electing as our new President in the 2010 Presidential elections? What we would like to hear from our Presidentiables is their plan to combat the ill-effects of global warming, to which our present government is merely paying lip service in fighting this difficult battle that we have to fight.

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