EDITORIAL - Obstructions

Two companies will soon face charges for constructing structures on waterways, President Aquino said yesterday as he checked on relief work in flood-hit areas. The government cannot stop at two; there are so many other companies and individuals responsible for the construction of private structures on public property, in the process obstructing waterways, natural drains and rain catchments.

Apart from the owners of such structures, investigators should identify who gave the green light for the construction. Barangay personnel are tasked to prevent illegal construction on public areas including waterways and drains. Local government units, in coordination with relevant agencies, are supposed to ensure that there are enough paths for flushing out rainwater in this land that is regularly visited by torrential monsoon rains and typhoons.

Today, in many areas of Metro Manila, indiscriminate and often illegal construction over natural drains has aggravated flooding or brought floods to areas that did not experience the problem in the past. Heavy flooding now bedevils even public cemeteries where shanties have been built along the narrow paths leading to tombs.

Some of the violators are government agencies themselves. Government buildings constructed over natural drains, with no provisions for alternative paths for rainwater, have caused serious flooding in several areas including the roads leading to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Around the Laguna de Bay floodplain, indiscriminate government reclamation and too many private fish pens owned mostly by local politicians have guaranteed regular monstrous flooding from Metro Manila to Laguna.

Government experts must draw up a map of the natural drains that are now obstructed by buildings and other structures. Once the areas have been identified, illegal structures must be destroyed and appropriate charges filed against those who have caused public suffering in the name of personal gain.