MORE than 40 days have lapsed since the occurrence of the 100-year flood which devastated Iloilo, particularly the city and the town of Pavia.

The most concerned chief executives, Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City and Gov. Niel Tupas of Iloilo province have yet to make a move in terms of finding out WHY the destructive flood happened; HOW much was due to the human alteration of the landscape and the environment; and WHAT the government should do to address these issues so that future destructive floods will be MINIMIZED.

During the 500-year flood in the Midwest of the United States last June 2008, the US government, even before the water receded (it took a week for the Midwest flood to subside because of its distance from the sea), created a commission composed of hydro-geologists and climate scientists to make an assessment of the WHY’s, the HOW’s and the WHAT’s of the flood.

This commission of experts submitted its findings early part of July, a mere 20 days from the occurrence of the flood! Their findings and recommendations were published in US newspapers, reason why this writer was learned about it in Colorado Springs which is far from the Midwest. In turn, this writer e-mailed the same to The Daily Guardian for publication with my own interpretations relative to the Iloilo flood.

In the city, Mayor Treñas could start with a massive and no-nonsense program of clearing and enlarging the city’s drainage system, restoring old creeks and streams that were wantonly filled by developers. These creeks and streams appear in old maps of Iloilo City but now are nowhere to be found today. Mayor Treñas should also replace ALL his appointees at the MIWD Board with new faces who have new visions in improving the water supply of Iloilo City.

I understand that the city also actively participates and finances the management a portion of the Maasin watershed, that was 10 months ago and until now it is still in the planning stage and UNDER STUDY! At the very slow pace Iloilo City is moving, Mayor Treñas slogan of “Bangon Iloilo” may take a hundred years to fulfill! It is an accepted fact that if Iloilo City is not divided into two congressional districts, the mayor will lock horns with the incumbent congressman for the lone district of the city. He will not be in a position of strength if he cannot show NOW some concrete solutions to water supply and flood problem of the city.

In the province, Governor Tupas should immediately TERMINATE ALL members of the Tigum Aganan Watershed Management Board, DISSOLVE the board itself and let MIWD and DENR manage the watershed. The impotent and toothless watershed management board personalities have been there for the past 20 years, yet the forest cover has not expanded and improved. In fact it even reduced in area and flooding and erosion have gone from bad to worse.

As I have mentioned before, the height of insanity is doing things the same old way and hoping for a different results!

There is also a need to create a technical body to assess and manage the streams and rivers of Iloilo Province. In technical term, this is called Applied River Morphology – the land forms that rivers and streams will influence and form. When will Governor Tupas start to act or is he preoccupied with his plans to run for congressman in the 4th district disregarding the welfare of his province? As in a basketball game, the ball is now in the hands of Mayor Treñas and Governor Tupas. Will they be statesmen enough to accept the challenge or will the two just reply: “AFTER THE FLOOD, NOW WHAT?

3 Responses to “After the flood: What now?”

• 1
  Bernardo Arellano Jr.
  August 7th, 2008 15:11

  Sir Edgar,

  I was in China when I heard about the great Iloilo flood in our town. Nothing I could do but just communicate, and the news was so sad,indeed. Everything was devastated in our place, and it may take awhile for Pavia or even the province to rise up.

  My hydrologist friend and classmate from NIA Engr. Ronie Jagorin told me that the devastation was exactly the same as the “Ormoc tragedy” a decade ago.The HOW and WHY can now be answered by just studying Ormoc’s disaster. I guess,it takes a long time for Filipinos to learn,huh? And,to think this type of disaster happens frequently in the Philippines. Iloilo should have been more prepared,given these environmental lessons.

  For me,it is simply the passive attitude of the people that were put in place to,supposedly, manage Iloilo’s watersheds and forest cover.

  You are correct in your analysis.Fire those ineffective,inefficient and politically connected people who are only interested in per diems and allowances,and not in the welfare of their fellow Ilonggos.

  If Mayor Trenas and Gov.Tupas would only look harder,there are still more concerned and capable Ilonggos whom they can tap.

  We have had to learn bitterly from this ecological lesson. Let us hope it is still not too late for Iloilo.
• 2
  habagatcentral
  August 7th, 2008 18:30

  ^^ dad is that you? hehe!! small world gid, ehehe!!
  Anyway, this is already post-Frank days and investigations have to be thorough.

  Although man has his faults but in my opinion, mother nature retaliated as such to man’s neglect.

  Political will must be slapped into the Ilonggos faces. This sheer apathy must also be dissolved…but I’m seeing things clearly, this flood changed the Ilonggo society.
• 3
  David B Katague
  August 23rd, 2008 01:22

  I was very sad, when I learned from my sister and brother in Jaro that their homes were flooded knee-deep and it took them 2 days to get rid of the mud in their homes after the water has drained. I did not believe that this can occur, since their residences are sort of high level from the Iloilo river flood plains. This a lesson and event that the provincial government of Iloilo should work on to prevent this from happening again. My prayers to all my Ilonggo province mates who suffered from the floods.

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