Mayor Teodoro plans to sue Angat Dam admin for flooding in Marikina

Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro plans to sue the leadership of Angat Dam for allegedly failing to notify them of releasing water during the height of typhoon “Ulysses.”

In a report by Maki Pulido on GMA News “24 Oras” on Friday, the local official said they were passing through 18 meters of water from typhoon Ulysses. But they did not expect that the Angat Dam, which raised the water by 22 meters, will also release water higher than the 21.5 meters caused by typhoon Ondoy in 2009.

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As a result, angry Teodoro said they would sue the dam management for negligence.

“We have declared the whole city under a state of calamity dahil lang sa kapabayaan na ‘yan,” the mayor said.

According to Teodoro, the Marikina flooding caused 10 billion damages in public infrastructure and P30 billion in business.

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The National Power Corporation said that as part of the protocol, the dam should notify the affected local governments four hours before the release of water.

NAPOCOR added that the Marikina City government is not included in the notification because it is not included in the areas listed in the Angat water supply list.

Also read: Roque urges netizens to stop asking ‘NasaanAngPangulo’

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Mayor Teodoro plans to sue Angat Dam admin for flooding in Marikina

But Teodoro insisted that the waters released at the Angat Dam are still connected to the Marikina River.

Due to the flooding in Marikina, many houses were submerged, and people’s evacuation became difficult.

Meanwhile, PAGASA said that the water released by the dams did not cause the widespread flooding in Marikina and Pasig.

PAGASA hydrologist Richard Orendain said that the floodwaters in Marikina and Pasig City came from the upstream of Mount Oro in Rizal.

“Kailangan po nating buksan nang sa gayon ay hindi po masira ‘yong dam na ‘yon dahil hindi po natin hahayaan na mas lumala ‘yong sitwasyon na magkaroon tayo ng dam break,” Orendain said.

“Wala pong dam dito po sa water shed ng Pasig-Marikina basin. ‘Yong mga malalakas na pag-ulan sa upstream, ‘yon po ‘yong nagpabaha dito sa Marikina,” Orendain added.