Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said Friday that he more than welcomed any local government units (LGUs) that sought to replicate their area’s success when it came to mitigating severe flooding.
The lawmaker told the DAILY TRIBUNE that there had been some officials that had physically gone to Navotas to check on how they were able to combat flood water that disrupted the city on an annual basis.
“Up to now, I am very willing to help if there are other LGUs who want to discuss, specially those below sea level and are affected by high tide,” Tiangco said in a viber message.
In a recent statement, Senator JV Ejercito credited Tiangco and his “Bombastik Pumping Stations” for easing flooding for communities below sea level.
Ejercito, who was previously mayor of San Juan, recalled how Navotas had often been drowned out by flooding, an issue that was similarly faced in his city.
Copying the strategy of Navotas, however, the senator said that they were able to resolve flooding that had reached depths of up to 15 to 20 feet.
“Barangay Balong Bato used to have 15 feet of flood waters. We placed pumping stations in Salpan, Rivera, Progreso and it was all fixed. Flooding in San Juan was gone,” he said.
Responding to the sentiments of Ejercito, the lone representative of Navotas said that the effort was more of a mutual affair as he and the senator “helped each other and shared our best practices.”
Tiangco would note that resolving years-long flooding in Navotas was not easy, given restrictions when it came to the budget and identifying how excess water could be properly dispersed within their waterways.
“Because of funding, we were not able to solve it immediately in just one year. It is difficult to stop water because it is searching for a place to go, so there should be determination, dexterity, and focus particularly in the maintenance and operations. It’s no joke,” he expressed in vernacular.
The solon also said that it was important for LGUs to show to their constituents that flood mitigation efforts were effective, given that it was their taxes that funded the operation of the facilities.
For Navotas, Tiangco noted that out of 74 pumping stations in Navotas, only four were funded and operated by the Metro Manila Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The rest of the facilities were funded locally, from the salary of workers to maintenance and the fuel that was used for the stations.
Another matter that Tiangco said local authorities needed to overcome was working without an overall master plan.
While acknowledging that an overall blueprint was necessary, the lawmaker said that it was more important to install facilities where it was necessary and to build the plan around the same.
“There is a possibility that there are improvements that can be done while waiting for the master plan,” he said.
With the recent rainfall experienced due to the Enhanced Southwest Monsoon, Navotas made headlines not as a city that was severely flooded but as an area that seemingly did flood control right.
