DON’T BLAME NAPOCOR ALONE

ASINGAN–Don’t just blame the flood on the officials of the San Roque Multi-Purpose Dam Project (SRMDP) and the National Power Corporation (Napocor).

This was the message sent by former President Fidel V. Ramos as he cited faulty flood control dikes and the abolition of the Agno River Basin Development Commission (ARBDC) in 2004 by the Arroyo administration as among the major causes of the massive flooding that affected most Pangasinan towns and cities in the wake of Typhoon Pepeng on October 9.

Ramos, under whose administration the SRMDP in San Manuel was started but completed in November 2002 during President Joseph Estrada’s term, admonished Pangasinan officials and other leaders for pointing at the release of water from the dam as the major cause for the major flooding.

Ramos said since seven years ago, SRMDP has not been supported by the installation down-stream of reinforced dikes that were supposed to serve as flood control and divert water for irrigation, fish farms, and household water supply for two million residents.

Insufficient peso budgetary allocations stifled Overseas Development Assistance funds that have already been committed earlier.

This resulted in “non-existing, sub-standard or much delayed completion of dikes/ floodgates not in accordance with projections for SRMDP,” said Ramos in a press statement.

ARBDC

Meanwhile, the ARBDC, created by Ramos in 1997 to harness the conserved freshwater in Northern Luzon, was intended as a long-term, planning, implementation and supervisory body.

Headed by the Secretary of DENR, the ARBDC’s main mission was to “develop the master plan for integrated economic, social and physical development of the basin, including preservation/enhancement of indigenous culture, to maximize equitable benefits derived from its natural resources as well as ensure fair sharing of the national patrimony between upland and lowland peoples.”

Ramos pointed out that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo “inexplicably” abolished the agency in 2004 and did not provide any replacement or any transitional arrangements.

“Such an important integrative body, designed to operate over at least three generations (the minimum 75-year SRMDP lifetime) was eliminated outright, without due diligence, simultaneously with nine duplicative, insignificant Presidential Offices as the “Atlas Commission,” lamented Ramos.

He said that it was “indeed unpardonable” because this meant goodbye to better flood control dikes, one million additional tons of rice per year, additional inland fish farms, and potable water for 35 municipalities and cities downstream where deep well aquifers were threatened by pollution/ saltwater intrusion.

ESPINO

Meanwhile, Governor Amado Espino Jr. called on the management of the San Roque Dam and Napocor to “get your acts together”.

Espino sent this stern message following the finger-pointing among officials of these agencies as well as the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services during a Senate hearing to investigate the seemingly sudden release of water from the dam which aggravated the flooding in Pangasinan.

“Who is in charge (about water dam release), what are the procedures they follow?” Espino told the local media Thursday.

He said he wanted to know why the deluge happened and who was responsible for the flooding. He said the province is set to take action against the responsible officials.

Pangasinenses have blamed the excess of the huge volume of water released by the dam, which opened its six spillway gates at 27 meters or a total water discharge of 5,072 cubic meters of water per second on Oct. 8 at 3:00 a.m. at the height of Typhoon Pepeng.

Espino said there was no proper warning system and making it impossible for the local government to launch massive evacuation of residents.

“Our province was devastated, many people died, and they were telling falsehoods. They should stop lying,” an angry Espino told the senate hearing last week.

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