Aquino: Govt preparing for heavy rains due to La Niña

REINA MERCEDES, ISABELA - President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III said government agencies and local government units (LGUs) have been directed to prepare for the heavy rains that will be caused by the La Niña phenomenon in the next six months. In an ambush interview with reporters in Isabela after the Philippine National Corn Congress, Aquino said he has already talked to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino to update the government's flood control plan in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways because the existing plan was crafted in the 1950s. Tolentino has previously said Metro Manila needs to improve its infrastructure to prevent massive flooding similar to what occurred after tropical storm Ondoy hit the country last year. Aquino said the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned the government that there might be "super typhoons" in the coming months so the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is already coming up with warning systems that "should give us at least two hours' warning everywhere." The installation of warning systems nationwide should be completed by next year, the president said. (PAGASA) forecaster Elvie Enriquez said earlier in the week that the La Niña phenomenon, which is expected to begin in the last quarter of the year until the first quarter of 2011, will be felt more through daily rains than cyclones. PAGASA expects the La Niña months to bring much-needed rains to areas affected by the El Niño's dry spells, she said. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, who was also in Isabela, said the department does not expect the La Niña phenomenon to affect crops adversely. "Actually po wala naman tayong ganun kalaking problema sa La Nina as of now (We don't have such a big problem with La Niña as of now)," said Alcala, but added that he is hoping things won't take a turn for the worse. Despite this, Aquino said the government is preparing thoroughly for the coming rainy season. He said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been trying to complete geohazard maps that identify disaster-prone areas, while the Department of Interior and Local Government has been conducting seminars to help the public prepare for the season. "We're tasking the LGUs to start their preparations especially for those with high risk. We are formulating the plans that should have been there to begin with on what has to be done," said the president. DENR: Double efforts to clean waterways Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday urged local government officials “to double their efforts" in cleaning waterways and managing solid wastes in their areas. Environment Secretary Ramon Paje issued a directive on Friday for DENR field officials across the country to enjoin LGUs to intensify preparations for heavier rainfall caused by the La Nina phenomenon. “It is important that we heed the warning on La Nina to save lives and properties. The best way to rise above the environmental tragedies we have had in the past is never to be caught unprepared, otherwise we have not learned our lessons," he said in a statement on Friday. PAGASA earlier warned of “above normal rainfall condition" during the latter part of the year due to the La Niña phenomenon, or the cooling of the sea surface surrounding the country. Paje particularly urged LGUs to clean up clogged waterways in their areas, as well as to mobilize their constituents to plant trees and practice waste segregation. “The mobilization of the citizenry for environmental protection should not be limited to just removal of silt and garbage that impede the free flow of rainwater, but also planting of trees in watershed areas and rehabilitation of mangrove areas which act as a buffer or shield of coastal communities against storm surges," he said. He likewise said that the DENR has already provided local officials nationwide with copies of geohazard maps to facilitate the evacuation of residents of flood- and landslide-prone areas. [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/202267/denr-maps-rps-disaster-hotspots] Paje has also earlier ordered a massive cleanup of waterways and other breeding places of mosquitoes all over the country to curb the rising number of dengue cases nationwide. [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/201582/denr-chief-orders-waterways-cleanup-drive-vs-dengue] Last year, extreme rainfall caused by tropical storm “Ondoy" caused heavy flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, claiming the lives of more than 400 people. –With Andreo Calonzo, VVP, GMANews.TV