Rizal officials blame heavy rains, not deforestation, for floods and landslide
Metro Manila, Philippines — Flooding from non-stop rains brought by Tropical Storm Enteng hit several parts of the country.
People left inundated homes on Monday, Sept. 2, and water in most areas subsided the next day.
Some social media users blamed quarrying and deforestation in Rizal as factors for the flash flood and a deadly landslide in Antipolo City.
The Antipolo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, however, pointed to the heavy rainfall.
“‘Yung area na gumuho po dahil sa tuloy-tuloy po na pag-ulan. Medyo mataas po ‘yung volume ng ulan,” disaster management officer Relly Bernardo told NewsWatch Plus.
[Translation: Continuous rains caused the landslide. The volume of rain is quite huge.]
“So far, ang may [our] solid basis po tayo ay yun [is the] volume ng ulan [of rains] as evidenced po ng mga [by] PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) rainfall monitoring stations,” he added in a message.
San Mateo, Rizal Mayor Omie Rivera attributed the flood in his area to improper waste disposal.
“Bumagal ang takbo ng mga tubig na nandu’n sa mga creeks, ‘yung mga sapa, ‘yung mga drainage system. So, basura pa rin,” Rivera said.
[Translation: Water flow in creeks and the drainage system slowed down. Garbage is still the cause.]
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has yet to comment on the matter.
In 2022, then President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the DENR to look into supposed illegal activities within the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape in Rizal after environmentalists and concerned citizens requested for the cancellation of quarrying deals.
