Local government unit (LGU) executives would welcome and participate in legislative inquiries into the flooding in the Cagayan region and other regions during the height of Typhoon Ulysses, as these could lead to improved systems that could prevent similar episodes in the future.
This was stressed on Wednesday by Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) National President and Quirino Gov. Dax Cua, who thanked his former colleagues in the House of Representatives for filing resolutions calling on the House to hold inquiries that would examine the causes behind the unprecedented floods in the Cagayan Valley region.
“The end goal of such inquiries should not be to find out what went wrong, but how to right those wrongs.”
According to Cua: “Given the loss of life, the casualties, and the scale of the damage caused by these floods, a thorough inquiry is needed so we can identify the root causes of the flooding, as well as possible policy and procedural gaps.”
Cua, who served three terms in the House, pointed out that “the end goal of such inquiries should not be to find out what went wrong, but how to right those wrongs.”
House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, and Minority Leader Joseph Paduano have recently filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the massive flooding in Cagayan and Isabela.
Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy likewise filed a resolution looking into how the release of water from the Angat, Ipo, La Mesa, Ambuklao, Binga, San Roque and Magat dams may have contributed to worsening floods in Metro Manila and the North.
Aside from inviting dam managers and LGU officials, Cua said the House should also invite environmental experts that could properly demonstrate why waters rose to unprecedented levels, explain the impact of climate change on such phenomena, and assess if existing government environmental protection programs are sufficient to prevent future flooding.
“The better all these are explained, the greater the possibility our response will be more effective, as the first step to successfully solving a problem is understanding it in its entirety.”
“The better all these are explained, the greater the possibility our response will be more effective, as the first step to successfully solving a problem is understanding it in its entirety,” said the governor.
The former legislator also suggested that the House conduct the hearings after LGU officials have finished relief and recovery efforts in their respective areas so LGU executives can focus on immediate concerns.
“Sa ngayon, karamihan talaga sa amin nakatutok sa mga lugar namin. Mas mainam sa tingin ko kung i-hold ang congressional hearings pag medyo maayos na dito sa region.”